A new beginning
by Set
Summary: After the events of Superboy #100 in which Kon goes and lives with Ma and Pa, but unexpected results cause another factor to be added. Possible Series. Read and Review...
1. Default Chapter

Authors Notes: Hola! The characters all used in this story are owned by DC (That's Detective Comics people, dammit, you should know this but like nobody does) Comics, which in turn is owned by Warner Brothers studios. The only character that I would dare claim is Kevin Clark… who might already be part of the DCU, I dunno, my DCness isn't nearly as good as my Marvelness, but if he isn't he came up in this here mind, okays? The time that this story takes place in is just after Superboy #100, in which Clark takes Kon to live with Ma and Pa Kent in Smallville, ironically that issue came out the day after I start this, but hey, inspiration strikes when it strikes right? A quick little message, I hate Kon with any sort of goatee, so for my story he shaved it, don't ask… it just doesn't seem right to consider him "the kid" if he has a goatee, I know, I'm an idiot but it's my story dammit! This story shifts from Kon's point of view to a 3rd person point of view, it might be a little confusing, and if so I apologize, but you'll know when the shifts happen. In order for this story to work out continuity wise the events of Superboy #100 must have happened AFTER the events of Superman #183, even though they came out the same week, and Superboy was supposed to come out a week before, let's just ASSUME that it happens like my story dictates, if only for this and any other possible future continuations. Let's get started shall we…  
  
Chapter One  
  
I couldn't sleep a wink during my first night at the Kent farm in Smallville Kansas. I've stayed here on several occasions and never had that problem, but it seemed as though the rooster they owned was intent on making sure that I would get no sleep during my first night of lodging in the foreseeable future. Several times during the night I'd quietly mutter obscenities at Superman, cursing him for the idea of staying here instead of still being near the glitz and glamour of Metropolis. Deep down, however, I knew that Clark thought this was for the best, and Clark was basically my father figure/big brother rolled into one. Besides, who tells Superman no? Well… okay there was always Batman, but the Dark Knight had always had a severe complex of having the worlds largest stick stuck as high up his ass as the intestines would permit, and he was also the exception to many other rules. Who else but Batman would devise ways to kill his TEAMMATES? "Friend" was far too strong a word to use when in regards to Batman, even when comparing anyone in his immediate "bat- family". To him all but himself were inferiors, to order around like common slaves. It was something that the Joker would probably do for sure, but not a person as… respected… yes respected, for all his brass there was not a single hero on Earth that did not respect the Batman. Sometimes I'd ponder why the two were at odds over so much, they seemed more alike than anything else. Well… once you got rid of the fact that one of them was a psychopathic killer, the other is just… psycho. Of course, I would never say these things aloud, I'd heard Clark's story about that chunk of Red Kryptonite… Batman's one person that I don't want to talk to when he is having a bad day. I've come to the conclusion that if it were between fighting Darkseid one-on-one or getting reamed by Batman it would be Darkseid ho for this meta. Stupid cowl. Gee Kon, you've started mindless babble already, this might be Kansas but you'd think that retaining a somewhat passable IQ would be possible. The rooster does his cock-a-doodle- doo thing again, I'm sure Clark knows what the technical term is called. You know the old saying, you can take the hick outta the country but you can't take the country outta the hick. Dammit Kon, focus on something other than the fact that you've pretty much gotten stuck in the boonies! What's next? Gonna go on a spending spree of country CD's? Do they even have CD's in Kansas? Stupid bird… I would kill it except Jon and Martha probably wouldn't be happy if I killed their rooster, even if he deserves it. I open the window and yell at the rooster, "Alright, I'm up! Are you happy now?" If I didn't know better I could swear that my super-hearing picked up the sound of that damned fowl laughing, assuming they can laugh.  
  
"Oh, you're up Kon?" I jump a bit at the voice from behind me, who says super-hearing is all it's cracked up to be? I turn around and see Martha smiling at me.  
  
"Yeah, morning."  
  
"I hope you slept well."  
  
I yawn and rub my eyes before I reply. "Yeah, I slept fine." A lie of course, but I don't want to hurt the poor lady's feelings, after all, I AM a guest. I'm sure Tim would just kill to see me right now, being courteous. Our resident Boy Wonder seems to believe that I'm only capable of being a pompous ass all the time. The thought alone makes me smile, I just hope Martha doesn't pick up. She doesn't, she just closes her eyes and begins to walk away.  
  
"Breakfast is almost ready Kon." I can hear her walk down the stairs and I walk over to the vanity. I'm staying in Clark's room, of course, and I'm also wearing his sleeping attire. The first thing I look at is, of course, my face. I shaved the 'tee off last night, my latest stage of wanting to look more mature passed by after I realized I was mature enough to inspire a former villain to save people in a burning building. Besides, it would take your average 16 year old plenty of time to grow a fashionable 'tee, and since I'm stuck this way for a long time… it would probably take even longer. Even then my fights along with the rest of Young Justice usually cause my hairs to get fried, why even bother anymore. My hair looks awful… damn that bird, making me toss and turn. Whatever, Martha said that breakfast was almost done, and I am pretty hungry. I walk downstairs in Superman's clothes, that he wore when he was my age, in the house that Superman lived in at my age and I can't help but wonder; Since I'm basically a clone of him does that mean I look like he did when he was 16? I chuckle, Superman lite might be causing a Déjà vu for his parents. I should ask them to see some pictures of Clark when he was a teenager, we don't look that much alike right now, same hair color, eyes, but a persons look can drastically change in 12 years (Authors Note: ASSUMING that Clark is 28… might be older, might be younger, don't shoot me!). I can smell the bacon and eggs as I close in on the kitchen. There are few pleasures that a person really has, a home cooked meal from mom is at the top of my list, but since I don't have a mom, Martha will fill in fine. Jon is reading the planet, don't see why, Perry fired Clark a couple of days back, been all over the Metropolis news, he's probably still buying the paper because he and Perry go way back and the fact that Lois still works there. He doesn't even look up from the paper, but he knows I'm there.  
  
"Morning Clark." He says, startling me.  
  
"Uh, I'm not Clark, Jon."  
  
"Don't play those games with me Clark, and you know better than to call me "Jon"." He starts to raise his voice as I turn over to Martha, who is looking at him and biting her lip.  
  
"Jonathan, Clark dropped off Kon here yesterday, don't you remember?" He finally tears himself away from the paper and gives her a "In this as well are you?" look, then he looks at me and I can see by the movement of his face that he realizes that he was wrong.  
  
"Oh, sorry Kon, you just looked so much like Clark in that outfit, I got confused." He turns and looks at Martha, "Doesn't he look like Clark when Clark was a young whippersnapper?" Whippersnapper? Mental note: I've found the one thing worse than a lecture from the big black bat, common language used in Kansas. Martha nods and smiles as she turns back to the frying pan.  
  
"Don't worry about it Jon, I'm sure a lot of people would have made the same mistake if they let the clone of their son stay in their house." Jon smiles at me as I continue yawning.  
  
"Listen Kon, you've stayed with us before, and we really do consider you to be another son that we never had. Please, call us Ma and Pa." I try to keep the shock off my face, but it's hard. They really consider me to be like another so to them? I've never really been part of a family before… it feels good.  
  
"Thanks Jon… err, Pa." I say with a smile. I will not cry, I will NOT cry, but a tear does manage to trickle down my cheek, they don't see it… I hope. Ma is working hard over the stove and she puts an omelet on the plate beside her, already adorned with slices of bacon and some potatoes. The wonders of a housewife never cease to amaze me. She turns around again and walks with a glass of milk in one hand, the plate in the other.  
  
"I hope I made the omelet the way you like it Kon." She places the plate on the table and walks over to the counter, pulling out some oatmeal. Pa again turns his attention away from the Planet and looks at my plate, salivating.  
  
"Aren't you going to have some breakfast Pa?" I ask, engulfing a piece of the omelet, cheese dripping from the side of my mouth.  
  
"I'm making him his breakfast right now." Ma puts the oatmeal in the pot of boiling water that I noticed out of the corner of my eye when I walked in. Pa grimaces at the sound of the oatmeal hitting the water.  
  
"The old heart can't take the finer things in life these days Kon, I can't eat the good stuff anymore."  
  
"Oh." I reply. How stupid could I possibly be? I should have known the heart attack that he had a little after Clark "died" would have affected him like that. Stupid Kon, keep it up and you won't make Clark proud. "Sorry Pa, I forgot." He smiles and rustles up my hair, messing it up even more than before. Mental note: after breakfast, shower, with lots of conditioner.  
  
"Don't worry about it son, it isn't important, but if I want to see Clark and Lois give me some grandbabies I gotta watch what I eat, right?" I nod, secretly thinking in the back of my mind how Lois would act if she was preggers, she has enough mood swings on a normal day. Right after I think about that the next thought is the things that Lois would be doing to Clark during labor. The man can crush a ton of explosives in his hands and not feel a thing but Lois during labor pains might just take the "super" out of the man. I can't help myself, I start laughing hysterically. "What's so funny Kon?" Pa wonders, confused as hell. After a couple of attempts I finally manage to swallow my laughter enough to reply.  
  
"Oh, I was thinking about what Lois would be like during the pregnancy, and then how she would act during labor." Pa's face goes blank, obviously he's thinking about it too. Ma is already letting out low chuckles, and by the time I shift back to Pa he's laughing too. It feels good to see them laughing, maybe I will make Clark proud, just maybe I will. Ma puts the oatmeal in a bowl and places it in front of Pa. She sits down and begins to enjoy a cup of tea. "Ma, aren't you going to eat some breakfast?"  
  
"I've already had my breakfast Kon. I enjoy eating my breakfast on the patio watching the sun rise over the hills."  
  
"You get up that early Ma?" I ask, awestruck, she just winks at me.  
  
"I don't get up that early Kon, but you aren't the only one that our rooster enjoys waking up unexpectedly."  
  
"So you knew that I didn't get a good rest?"  
  
"Yes, and I also know that amid all the complaints you made to Clark while you were tossing and turning that you are indeed in the right place." I blush. Damn this gal is good, no wonder Clark said that lying to her was harder than fighting a horde of white Martians. I decide that I don't really want to get into a deeper conversation on the things I said last night, so I scarf down the rest of my breakfast. Next time I pay a visit to my birthing parents over at Cadamus I'll have to thank them for the super- speed they gave me.  
  
"Thanks for breakfast Ma, I'm going to go take a shower now." I place my dishes in the sink and run up the stairs to the bathroom. (Not from Kon's point for a bit, you know how comics are, just because someone is the star of the story doesn't mean the entire story has to revolve around him, get used to it because sometimes he won't be in for awhile.)  
  
Pa's eyes peer from the tip of the paper across the table to his wife. "I think you embarrassed our charge a bit Martha." Ma gaves Pa a look that explains everything that she was thinking, and the phone rang.  
  
"Who in the world could be calling us this early in the morning?" Ma walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Is this a Miss Martha Clark Kent?" The voice on the phone asks.  
  
"Yes, this is she, how can I help you?" Pa got up from his chair and walks over to Ma, attempting to listen in on the conversation.  
  
The voice over the phone speaks again, "You have a nephew by the name of Christian Clark, and a niece-in-law by the name of Tori, and they have a son, Kevin. Am I correct?"  
  
Ma's face shifted to a deeply concerned state, "Yes, yes you are correct. Are they alright?"  
  
"I'm afraid not Ms. Kent. Christian and Tori died yesterday in a boating accident." Ma gasped and began to weep. Pa was close enough to overhear and he clutched Ma's hand, his eyes tearing up.  
  
"Is…" Ma started to say, but she choked up. A moment later she tried again, "Is Kevin alright?"  
  
"He is fine. However, he has no living relatives aside from you, your husband, and your son. Being the only relatives living, we found it mandatory that you be called and asked if you would be willing to take care of him."  
  
Chapter Two  
  
The voice over the telephone got a little sterner. "Hello, Ms. Kent, are you there?" Ma had been quite for awhile, thinking of the request that had been placed before her. "Ms. Kent, hello?"  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, if you don't mind I'd like to talk this over with my husband for a moment."  
  
"Take all the time you need Ms. Kent, I'll stay on hold."  
  
"Thank you." Ma placed the receiver on the counter and slowly walked over to the table. "Poor Kevin, to lose his parents at such a young age." She cupped her hands over her eyes and began to weep. Pa sighed and placed his hand on her shoulder, not saying a word and letting her mourn. She did not stay quiet for long, she looked up at Pa and asked, "Jonathon, what are we going to do about him?"  
  
"We're going to take him in of course! It's the right thing to do. Your brother, god rest his soul, would have taken care of Clark in a heartbeat if something happened to us while he was growing up. We're going to bring him here and make sure he finishes high school and goes to college. It's the least we can do for Christian and Tori."  
  
"We haven't seen Kevin since he was six years old at the family reunion, that was ten years ago. What if he doesn't remember us?"  
  
"It doesn't matter if he doesn't remember us, we have to be there for him." Ma wiped away her tears and sniffled as she placed a hand over Pa's. Ma picked up the receiver, took a deep breath and talked to the person on the other line again.  
  
"I'm sorry for the delay."  
  
"Not a problem Ms. Kent, have you come to a decision?"  
  
"Yes…" Ma replied, "Yes, we want to bring Kevin home with us."  
  
"The funeral for his parents is the day after tomorrow. Will you be attending?"  
  
"Yes, of course we'll be there."  
  
"Splendid. I will inform Kevin that he will be going home with you and your husband, he should be packed by then."  
  
"Please, tell him that we should be there later tonight. Could you please give us his home address?"  
  
"Certainly Ms. Kent." The voice on the telephone gave Ma the information she requested. "I apologize for your loss Ms. Kent, goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye." Ma said before the phone rang dead. "We're flying out before the end of the evening Jonathon."  
  
"Of course Martha… but what about Clark?" Martha gasped.  
  
"Clark! I forgot… we should call him right now, he and Christian were so close." Martha dialed his number in Metropolis. "I hope he's home," several rings and she turned up with nothing, "that boy, saving the world at the worst possible time! I know! I'll call Lois at the planet." She dialed the planets number and got the receptionist, "Lois Lane please." Within moments someone answered on the other line.  
  
"Lane here."  
  
"Lois…"  
  
"Martha?" Lois put the story she was working on down and focused on her Mother-in-law.  
  
"Lois, where is Clark at?"  
  
"Knowing my husband, he probably has his head stuck on the moon or something." Lois was careful with her wording.  
  
"It's very important that I talk to him right now Lois, please find a way to get him here."  
  
"Martha? Is everything okay?"  
  
"We're fine dear, but no, everything is not fine. Please Lois, get him here." Ma hung up the phone and walked away. She was confident that Lois would find a way to get in touch with Clark, she had ways.  
  
At the Planet Lois grew concerned, she had never heard Martha quite that tense since… since Clark "died". She had no way of contacting Clark on the moon, but she knew someone who did. Superman's "best pal" Jimmy Olsen. Lois walked away from her desk and looked for Jimmy. Luckily for him he was at his desk, working out some pictures on his computer. "Jimmy, fancy meeting you here."  
  
"Yeah Lois… imagine the possibilities of me being at… my desk." Jimmy looked up and noticed that the usually cool reserved Lois looked rather tense. "Did you need something Lois?"  
  
"Jimmy, I need to talk to Superman, right now."  
  
"And I factor into this how?"  
  
"You have the watch that only he can hear Jimmy, use it." The boy looked at Lois, the woman he probably respected more than any other woman in the world.  
  
"Lois, I'm not really supposed to use it unless it's an emergency."  
  
"Dammit Jimmy! This is an emergency!" Lois stared at him, she didn't mean to sound so rude, but it was important that she get in touch with Clark. "I can't tell you what it's about, but please, I need to talk to him." Jimmy looked at her for a little while before he finally relented.  
  
"Alright, let's go to the roof and I'll call him."  
  
"Thank you Jimmy."  
  
Within five minuets Jimmy and Lois were on the roof of the Daily Planet. Jimmy placed his hand in his pocket and pulled out a stopwatch. The watch was a gift from Superman, and it had a special feature on it, if Jimmy ever needed him all he would need to do is press the button on the top of the watch and a signal would emit from it, a signal that only Superman could hear. Jimmy pressed the button as he watched Lois pace up and down the roof. Whatever she needed to talk to Superman about it was obviously bothering her a lot. "Lois, I did what I can, now we just have to wait, and hope he can hear the signal."  
  
"He just has to hear it Jimmy. He just has to…"  
  
As it turned out Lois' first guess on where her husband was turned out to be correct. He was on the moon, on monitor duty with another member of the JLA. "You really don't mind me watching Springer on one of the monitors while you keep track off everything, do you Supes?" asked Plastic- Man.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder how I get myself into these things." Superman retorted.  
  
"Hey, I told you not to make that bet with Batman about who could get the higher score on Jeopardy. But you just HAD to try and show up Batsy, and now you get stuck on monitor duty with me!"  
  
"Only he would know the capital of Assyria…"  
  
"Right… Personally I wish that Wonder Woman would have made the bet with him… but I guess spending time with you is, ah who the hell am I kidding, WHY DON'T I EVER GET ONE-ON-ONE TIME WITH WONDER WOMAN!"  
  
"Probably because she doesn't like you."  
  
"What's not to like? I'm cute, cuddly, funny, and great with kids!" Plas did not hear a response. "Don't tell me the world famous reporter is out of witty comebacks! Maybe I should take up your job at the Planet!" Superman was quiet because he could hear Jimmy's signal down on Earth.  
  
"Plas, I gotta go!"  
  
"HEY! You lost the bet, you have to stay with me on monitor duty!"  
  
"I'll stay with you the next time, promise!" Superman replied as he flew out of the watchtower.  
  
"Well… if you can't trust Superman who can you trust?" Plas gave a sigh, "I guess now I have to start paying attention to the world activities." Springer's voice came on the monitor that Plas was watching.  
  
"Up next, midgets and the people who love them!"  
  
"The world can wait, BRING ON THE MIDGETS!"  
  
Lois was still pacing on the rooftop, wondering where he was. "Maybe you should try it again Jimmy." Jimmy looked at her and nodded, putting his finger over the button.  
  
"That won't be necessary Miss Lane." Superman said, floating above them. "Jimmy, you look fine, why did you push the distress signal?"  
  
"Ask your gal pal over there Superman, she wanted to talk to you bad." Jimmy watched as Superman gave a concerned look over at Lois. "I'm going to go back downstairs, have fun you two."  
  
"Lois…"  
  
"Clark, your mother called and told me that she needed to talk to you right now."  
  
"Did she give a reason?"  
  
"No, no she didn't, and that worries me."  
  
"Thanks." Clark was about to fly away when Lois grabbed his cape.  
  
"Hold up Smallville, I want to see what's up. After all, they're my family too!" Clark nodded and picked Lois up, and sped off towards his hometown.  
  
"So she gave you no reason?" Clark asked while they were flying.  
  
"No reason at all." Lois said. "But usually when she gives no reason it's not something good."  
  
"I know." Clark landed in front of the Kent farm and placed Lois on the ground. They walked to the doorway, hand in hand, Ma and Pa waited for them in the kitchen. "Ma, Pa, I'm here." They walked into the kitchen and walked in to greet them. "Lois said you called."  
  
"I knew you'd get him here Lois." Ma said as she hugged her son.  
  
"Next time you see Jimmy Olsen you should thank him, it was through him that I was able to get Clark here."  
  
"Please, tell me why you needed to talk to me right away."  
  
"Son, your cousin Christian and his wife Tori were killed in a boating accident sometime yesterday." Pa said as he placed a shoulder on Clark's shoulder. "Someone called your mother a little while ago and told us that. They also told us that Kevin is still alive, and that we are his only living relatives."  
  
"Christian… is dead?" An astonished Clark asked. Lois said nothing, she just gripped her husband's hand for emotional support.  
  
"Yes Clark." Ma said as she wiped her eyes. "Plus, they asked us if we would take Kevin home with us, and of course we agreed. I'd hate for that poor boy to grow up without any family, it just isn't right."  
  
"Of course not Ma, I'd never hear of it either." Clark said as he leaned on the table. "Do you want Kon to leave?"  
  
"Of course not!" Pa said, "That boy needs some family too, we just took him in yesterday, to throw him out a day later would be preposterous!"  
  
"I'm sure he would understand, and I think one teenager in this house is enough." Clark replied.  
  
"Son, if the Kent farm can handle one teenager who is just coming to terms with being one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy I'm pretty sure it can handle another super-human who knows his limits and a grieving child." Lois chuckled at Pa's statement, she knew it was true. "Now I'll have no more talk of Kon leaving this house until he thinks he is ready, do you hear me!"  
  
"Yes sir." Clark answered softly.  
  
(Back to Kon's point of view, if only for a little bit)  
  
I get out of the shower and walk into the room I'm staying in. I can hear Ma and Pa talking downstairs, but I'm far to involved with making my hair look perfect to pay further attention. As I rummage through the clothes that are in the dresser I laugh, so much flannel. You'd think that Clark would have taken the time to get some silk or leather, something else but flannel. Still, when in Kansas… and it's not like I can just be wearing my Superboy outfit around town, don't want to draw any attention to Ma and Pa's newest charge as a well known metahuman. With my hair finally perfected I get dressed and walk downstairs to see who else is down there. When I do get down there… I'm shocked to say the least. "Clark, Lois? I know I can be a handful sometimes but even I can't mess up bad enough to merit a visit when I've only been here less than a day. I mean, it's not like somebody died or anything right?" The four of them glance at each other, then back at me. "Was it something I said?"  
  
Chapter Three  
  
It is now official: Kon-El is the biggest jackass this side of New Genesis. I had no clue that Clark's cousin and his wife died yesterday, I had no clue that their son would come to live with Ma and Pa because they were the only people who were related and still alive aside from Clark. I knew nothing about the tragedy that had befallen this family in the last hour since they got "the phone call". I was so clueless and yet I went and made such a stupid comment. After I came down we migrated to the living room so they could tell me everything that happened. I feel awful for Ma, Pa, and Clark, Clark especially. I know how much it tears at any of us when someone we care about passes away. Some of us are among the most powerful on the planet and we can't save them, we did not have the power to save them. I felt like that when Tana died. For all our vaunted "power" we just can't stop the cycle of mortality, not even so called "immortals", like Hippolyta, can stop whatever is going to happen from happening. The death that we all experienced during the War last year hardened all of us, but you can never get used to death, especially when it is a death in the family. Clark was an emotional wreck when both of his parents were M.I.A., but they both turned out alive, thankfully. This Kevin, he lost both of his parents, he'll never see them again, and he's only a year younger than I "am", he barely got enough time to get to know them. I feel horrible, then it hits me, "I guess you want me to move out so you can take care of Kevin right?"  
  
"Did that Cadimus that made you graph your brain off of Clarks'? It seems like both of you assume that we are going to kick you out." Pa said, somewhat annoyed.  
  
"But I…" I attempt to explain.  
  
"No lip from you! You'll stay in Clark's old room and Kevin will stay in the guest room."  
  
"I just don't feel right imposing myself on you when you have a family crisis on your hands." Ma walks up and places he hand on my shoulder.  
  
"We told you before Kon, you are family." Ma turns around and looks over at Clark, "We are going to take the next plane out and be with Kevin as soon as possible. The funeral is tomorrow, you'll be there right?"  
  
"No." Lois interrupts, "we'll be there."  
  
"Thank you Lois." Ma hugs her hard.  
  
"Well, I guess we should get back to Metropolis and pack." Clark says as he walks outside and sweeps Lois up. "See you sometime soon." And with that, he flies away. I look out the window as I tell Ma and Pa,  
  
"Well, looks like I'll get some farm training while you two are gone."  
  
"You won't come with us?" Ma asks.  
  
"No, I did not know either of them, and I shouldn't be there for something like that. Besides, the kid will have plenty of time to get to know me when he comes to live here." Pa grabs my wrist,  
  
"Are you sure this is what you want?"  
  
"I'm sure." I turn around and glance at both of them. "You two should go pack, I'll milk the cow."  
  
"Uh, Kon… we don't have a cow anymore." Ma tells me.  
  
"Oh, well then what am I gonna do while you two are gone?"  
  
"Ma, pack up for me please. I'll take Kon to the general store and show him how to work things. Odds are he'll be working there while he stays here with us, so the earlier we teach him the earlier he learns right?"  
  
"You are right about that Pa," Ma answers, "I should be done by the time you get back."  
  
"Come on Kon, let's get in the pickup truck and go to the store."  
  
"You know Pa, I could just fly us over…" Pa looks at me, "shutting up now…" Pa smiles as he grabs the keys to the truck. And with that I'm off to go learn the ways of the Smallville General Store, imagine my "delight". God I hope that they have a television at that store with cable, I haven't watched me the cartoon network in so long…  
  
(Not Kon's POV anymore.)  
  
Clark landed on the balcony of the apartment and quickly changed into his civvies. Lois stayed on the balcony wondering about the anguish that her husband was possibly going through after hearing the news. Only one way to find out, "Hey Smallville, you okay?"  
  
"He was like the big brother I never had Lois." Clark looked at a picture he took with his cousin ten years ago, the last time they saw each other. "He taught me how to play ball, taught me how to pick up girls, he taught me so much and now he's gone."  
  
"That reminds me, why wasn't he at the wedding?"  
  
"He had business to attend to in France that entire week. He hated the fact that he had to miss the wedding, but he couldn't really do anything about it." Clark sat down on the couch and sulked. Krypto walked in from the bedroom and sat in front of his master.  
  
"Why was that dog in our room? What did he tear up this time?" Lois walked into the bedroom, but not before she shot a glare at the superdog.  
  
"You didn't tear up anything did you boy?" Clark patted Krypto on the head and he wagged his tail. "No you didn't, because you're a good boy. Yes you are!" Krypto jumped on the couch and planted his head on Clark's lap. "Hey Lois, do you think that we should bring him with us? Maybe a dog will cheer the poor boy up a little."  
  
"Right, that's all we need, the strongest dog in the world gnawing on and then destroying the caskets of your late cousin and cousin-in-law, right in front of your parents and second cousin."  
  
"He wouldn't do that Lois, he got a lot better at self discipline while you were away spending quality time with your mother. As you well know, he didn't even destroy a thing while we were away."  
  
"That might be true," Lois said as she walked back into the living room, "but the boy might be allergic to dogs, and we don't need him going through an allergy attack at his parents' funeral." Lois remained quite for a moment before adding, "They are painful enough by themselves."  
  
"Lois…"  
  
"Forget it Clark. Why is the dog on the couch? Krypto, down!" Krypto tilted his head as Lois pointed her finger at the ground.  
  
"Come on boy, you should listen to your mother."  
  
"Why do you insist on calling me his mother?"  
  
"Because I'm his father, you're my wife, and that makes you his mother."  
  
"I don't want to be considered a mother to this… this… DOG!" Lois waved her hand in front of her face. "I'm going to go pack." She stormed back into the room.  
  
"She didn't mean it Krypto, she's probably just thinking about the pain of losing her own father. Let's go visit Ned for a couple of days, okay boy!" Krypto barked in approval and they both flew to the fortress.  
  
The moment that they were both in the fortress they were greeted by the Super-Robot, Ned. "Greetings Kal-El, and Krypto too."  
  
"Ned, I need you to watch Krypto while I go and attend to some family issues. I should be back to get him in two days."  
  
"Affirmative, I will watch the dog while you attend to these issues Kal- El."  
  
"Thanks Ned." Clark looked down at Krypto, "I'll be back as soon as possible okay boy? Give me a kiss bye-bye." Krypto licked his master with a sad look on his face. "Don't worry, after I come back, we'll play catch with some asteroids!" Clark flew out of the fortress leaving Ned and Krypto alone.  
  
"What will I do to keep you entertained for two days?" By the time Ned finished his question Krpyto was dragging him around by the cape. "Well… there always was this."  
  
Clark flew back into the bedroom and grabbed Lois by the waste. "You know you don't have to go if it's too painful for you."  
  
"I know I don't have to, but I also know that I want to." Lois turned around and kissed her husband on the lips. "I think that it's important that your cousin have someone close to his age who has gone through this kind of loss. I might not have lost both my parents, but I still know what someone goes through whenever they lose a parent. And I'm just a tad bit more on par with the youth of today than your parents."  
  
"I love you Lois Lane."  
  
"And I love you, Clark Kent." The two embraced again. "Clark, you could do me a big favor by booking a plane for later today. I'll finish packing while you make the call."  
  
"You know that getting a plane for later today is going to cost an arm and a leg, right?"  
  
"And you know that the income pulled in by two award-winning journalists who work at one of the country's widest circulated paper can more than make up for it, right?" Clark turned his head. "Oh… I'm sorry Clark, I forgot…"  
  
"No Lois, it's alright. I'll go make the call right now." Clark left the room.  
  
"Lois Lane, you are the most insensitive wife that any planet in the galaxy has ever seen!"  
  
"No you aren't!" Clark yelled from the living room. Lois smiled and thought to herself,  
  
"Hey, it could be worse, you could have been married to the Martian Manhunter. Unless he's impersonating Clark again…" Lois dug through her pocket and pulled out a pack of matches. "Let's test that theory out shall we?" She walked to the living room and struck the match against the striker, lighting it. Ever so coyly she walked up behind Clark and placed the fire in contact with his skin, nothing happened.  
  
"Why did you do that Lois?"  
  
"Just testing something…" Lois walked back into the bedroom.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Ma and Pa sat in the lobby of the airport that they landed at. "We got lucky that they booked a flight that landed twenty minutes after ours." Pa said as he picked up their luggage from the baggage carousel.  
  
"Yes, but even if the plane was late it wouldn't really matter to someone who's faster than a you know what." Ma took some of the luggage off Pa's hands and walked to a seat. "Do you think Kon will be fine running the store all by himself? He never really got some time to see how either of us ran it."  
  
"Don't worry Martha, I gave him a run down of how things work. Besides, he's a bright boy, he should pick up what needs to be done with little problem."  
  
"Still, I should call him and tell him just not to open the store tomorrow." Pa placed his hand over hers and shook his head.  
  
"If we coddle the boy too much he'll never learn how to be independent, better to teach him stuff like that now, even if he's never ran the store before. Think of it like the sink or swim test that we gave Clark when he was little."  
  
"But Jonathon, Clark sank when we gave him that test."  
  
"In order for someone to succeed at something they have to fail at least once. Trust the boy Martha, I do." Pa winked at her.  
  
"You're right, he'll do fine. Do you want to go get some coffee while we wait for them?"  
  
"I'd like that." Pa said as he got up and then helped Ma up. "Let's just hope that they have regular coffee, none of that confounded new flavor stuff you see plastered all over the television these days." Pa saw that the coffee house was a Starbucks and let out a heavy sigh.  
  
"Well Pa, at least we get to try out something new, right?"  
  
"I guess."  
  
By the time that Ma and Pa had purchased their coffee and gotten back to their seats they did not have to wait long for Clark and Lois. In fact they found Ma and Pa, not the other way around.  
  
"You know you didn't have to wait for us if you didn't want to." Clark said as they walked out of the airport.  
  
"Nonsense Clark, why bother with renting two cabs if we can all pile into one for half the cost." Ma replied.  
  
"Just make sure our resident Man of Steel sits in the front seat." Lois added with a giggle.  
  
"You have directions, right Pa?" Pa handed Clark a piece of paper.  
  
"Tell the cabbie the directions on the paper son, those are the directions that we were given to the house." Pa looked around, noticing that Ma and Lois were gone. "Um… where are our wives?"  
  
"Flagging down a cab, Pa."  
  
"Ah. Looks like they got one, come on boy, the sooner we get there the better."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
The ride to the house went smoothly. Kevin's house wasn't far from the airport, and the cab driver was not the type that would run the meter with meaningless side-trips. Clark paid the cabbie and unloaded the luggage from the trunk. Ma took a few steps towards the house before she stopped, "Well, it looks like that someone is in the living room."  
  
"Only one way to find out…" Lois said as she walked to the front door and rang the doorbell.  
  
"I've finally realized why you have to save that girl from so many problems Clark," Ma said, astonished, "she just walks into everything head on." Someone opened the door.  
  
"Yeah, what do you want?" Lois looked at the person who answered the door. He was a head taller than her and had sandy blonde hair with pale green eyes. "Wait a minute… you're… you're…"  
  
"Lois Lane-Kent. Are you Kevin?" The boy nodded, flabbergasted at the fact that the world famous reporter was standing in her doorway. Kevin looked behind her and saw his family standing there.  
  
"Uncle Jon! Aunt Martha!" Kevin ran over and hugged them both.  
  
"Oh Kevin, I'm so sorry about everything that happened." Ma said as she hugged Kevin.  
  
"We're here now Kevin, we're here to take you home with us after the funeral tomorrow."  
  
"I know Uncle Jon, I know." Kevin smiled as he looked at Clark. "Ditched the jock-boy look since the last time I saw you, didn't you Clark?"  
  
"And you've gotten your two front teeth back, plus grown a couple of feet."  
  
"Yeah well, puberty brings a lot of unexpected changes."  
  
"You don't have to tell me twice Kevin…" Clark smiled as he hugged his cousin, "So, I see you've met my wife?"  
  
"I knew you married her, but I never thought I would meet Lois Lane… it's so cool." Lois walked down the steps and offered her hand,  
  
"Sorry we had to meet under such… morbid conditions Kevin, but it's a pleasure."  
  
"Oh believe me Miss Lane, the pleasure is mine."  
  
"Miss Lane? Kevin, you are my husbands cousin, you can call me Lois. I insist that you call me Lois."  
  
"Alright… Lois." Kevin gave a low gasp. "Oh, how rude of me, please, come in, come in."  
  
Kevin spent the remainder of the night telling his family about what had happened, it was obvious he hadn't talked to anyone about it since it occurred and he broke down a couple of times. The house was almost completely bare, everything was being shipped to Smallville except for the stuff that Kevin insisted on taking with him without waiting for the U-haul to trek across the country along with the bed ware that would be used by Ma, Pa, Clark, and Lois in the guest rooms. By the time Kevin finished his story it was late and he wanted to turn in for tomorrow would be the hardest day that he would probably ever have to go through. Clark paced around in the room that he and Lois were staying in for the night. "Lois, do you think I should tell him?"  
  
"Tell who what?"  
  
"Kevin, and tell him the secret…"  
  
"Oh…" Lois put down her laptop, "Why do you want to tell him that you're Superman?"  
  
"Because he looked so sad when he was telling us about the accident…"  
  
"Clark, anyone who loses both of their parents on the same day would look like that, especially someone as young as Kevin."  
  
"I know that, but this is the kind of thing that could change his entire outlook on life, and it probably wouldn't be for the better."  
  
"Oh Clark, always the hero."  
  
"It's what I do best."  
  
"I know that… but Clark Kent could do a lot more for his cousin than Superman could."  
  
"What makes you think that?"  
  
"He doesn't know that you have the powers of a demi-god Clark. If you tell him that you are the most powerful person on the planet right now he'll always lean on you for support. Under the guise of a mere mortal former journalist you can teach him more about humanity. The choice, as always, is yours to make, and I'll respect the choice no matter what…"  
  
"But you're right Lois, I shouldn't tell him, not yet. I just don't know what he's going through and would do anything to help him through it."  
  
"You could introduce him to Bruce." Clark smirked at the idea.  
  
"I want to help him, not crush his psyche. Bruce is a great guy but he's a little too… dark for someone Kevin's age."  
  
"How about Plastic-Man, it wouldn't seem odd, being a former reporter."  
  
"If I introduced him to Plas it would have to be at our house."  
  
"Never mind then…" Clark kissed his wife on the forehead.  
  
"I knew you'd see it my way. Good night Lois."  
  
"Good night Clark."  
  
Chapter Five  
  
The funeral service was held early the next morning in the local parlor. Very few attended since both were rather isolated and had few friends and little family aside from those that were there. The Priest talked about how it was a horrible tragedy that they were taken from the world at such a young age and left their only child alone in the very same world. He attempted to assure Kevin that his parents were going to be with the angels because they were very nice people and God loved all of his children. Although the service was held with both bodies in a closed casket due to the extensive damage that was a product of the crash Kevin spent a lot of the time after with a hand placed on each. The Priest came up from behind and gently said "I hope that I helped bring you closure my son."  
  
"Oh yeah, my lack of faith in God has pretty much been sealed by everything you've said. Thanks Father." Kevin walked out of the room.  
  
"Forgive the boy Father, he is grieving." Ma requested. Clark started to walk out,  
  
"Maybe I should go talk to him." Lois grabbed his arm.  
  
"No, let me." Clark nodded. Lois slowly walked over to the hallway where Kevin was looking out one of the stained glass windows. "Quite a stir you made in there with your comment to the Priest kid."  
  
"Leave me alone Lois, please."  
  
"No, I won't leave you alone Kevin, because I know for a fact that right now the last thing you need is to be alone."  
  
"What would you know about anything that I'm going through right now?"  
  
"I might not know exactly what you are going through kid. I still have my mother, but I don't have my father." Lois clutched her hand tight.  
  
"Lois… I didn't know."  
  
"You're right, you didn't know, because I don't like to just tell everyone that I'm still coping with the loss of my father. Me, Lois Lane, the tough as nails gal reporter can't afford to show any weakness that would damage my image. No one, not even Clark, knows that there are times when I can't sleep because I just want my daddy to hold me and tell me that I'm important to him. We never got along Kevin, but we loved each other and appreciated the time that we spent together because we knew that we were sharing quality time together. My pain has been a private hell because I made it my own private hell, thinking that no one would know what I went through, just like you. So I'm telling you right now Kevin, that if you ever need someone to talk to, a shoulder to lean on, I'll be there. It'll be hard at first, but time heals all wounds… even ones as bad as this."  
  
"Are you done yet?"  
  
"Yes, I'm done." Kevin walked away, leaving Lois alone. "Just like I knew you'd react." Clark walked in, "That was quite some speech you gave him Lois."  
  
"He needed to hear it. Right now he's acting like he doesn't care about a word that I said, but deep down I know that he's thinking about every single word I told him and taking comfort in knowing that he'll have someone if he needs someone."  
  
"Do you really go sleepless because of your father's death?"  
  
"No, but I thought I would toss that in for added effect." Lois was lying, she knew it, but there was no reason Clark should know.  
  
After the burial at the cemetery everyone returned to Kevin's home to gather all the belongings that he would take with him on the plane back to Smallville. Within minutes they had piled the luggage into their taxis and were ready to go. "Hold on for a second please, I have to do something." Kevin asked before they left. He walked back into the house and stood in the hallway for a second, saying only one word, "Goodbye." He walked back out, visibly shaken, but everyone gave him the space that they felt he needed. "Okay, now I'm ready." The party piled into their respective taxis and ventured to the airport again. The ride was met with complete silence, and their planes were close to being boarded, which left little time for goodbyes.  
  
"We'll call you once we get back to Metropolis." Clark said as he and Lois got ready to board their plane. "Maybe you'll come for a visit soon Kevin, see how life goes on in the city of tomorrow."  
  
"I'd like that Clark, maybe sometime soon?"  
  
"Just ask, I'm sure we'll be able to arrange something."  
  
"Remember," Lois started to say, "If you need anything at all you just have to call." Kevin remained quiet and stared at the ground, still putting on what Lois was certain was a show. Clark and Lois hugged Ma and Pa and quickly walked through the gates.  
  
"Well, we should probably go to our gate now." Pa looked at Kevin, who looked back at him. "You've got your carry-on bag ready with all the stuff that you wanted right?"  
  
"Yeah Uncle Jon, I've got everything I need to keep me busy on the plane."  
  
"We'll be there before you know it Kevin, the plane ride home is just a little over two hours." Ma said as she hurried Kevin alone the walkway.  
  
"Aunt Martha, do you think I'll like living in Smallville… it sounds rather… small."  
  
"Well it isn't as big as Metropolis or Gotham, but the President likes the town, so you might like it."  
  
"I hope so."  
  
"Well you won't know until you get there, and if we don't board that plane right now we won't get there for awhile!" Pa said with a laugh. "Come on, let's go home."  
  
"Right… home…" Kevin muttered as he walked on the plane.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
The plane ride to Smallville went smoothly, Kevin spent most of his time reading a novel while occasionally engaging in conversation with Ma and Pa. Many questions ran through the young man's head. Questions about how he would like living with his Uncle and Aunt, about how he would like school there, if the people would like and accept him, about how he would be able to live life without his parents. He remembered what Lois told him about time healing all wounds, and he knew that if she thought so, it must be true. As soon as the luggage was gathered they walked to the car. "You own a pickup truck?" Kevin asked as he placed his belongings into the back of the car.  
  
"You were expecting the newest Toyota?" Pa asked. "Boy, here in Smallville we keep our cars till they can't run, and only then do we buy some newer, shinier, commercial vehicle."  
  
"We've had this since before Clark was born, so you might be able to go shopping with us." Ma said as she smiled.  
  
"Nonsense Martha, the tank has at least ten years left in her." Pa started the truck and it sputtered a bit. "At least I hope she does…"  
  
"Is it… safe to ride in that?" Kevin wondered with a hint of fear in his voice.  
  
"It might not sound like the most fit of vehicles, but it gets us where we want to go. Now into the truck with you." Ma answered.  
  
The journey back to the Kent farm was more or less a tour of Smallville for Kevin. Ma and Pa showed him the General Store, which had already closed, the high school that he would be going to soon, the town hall, and several other "landmarks" that the town had. Kevin tried to look excited but every time he saw something he couldn't help but think about how hickish the entire town seemed. Dusk had fallen as Pa drove the tank up the dirt driveway to the farm. "You live on a farm?" Kevin asked as soon as the house came into view.  
  
"Yep, my pa bought this land when I was running around in diapers, and when I go it'll go to Clark."  
  
"I wonder if Kon's home." Ma said.  
  
"Um… who's Kon?" Kevin asked, perplexed.  
  
(Back to Kon's POV)  
  
I can see the truck down the driveway as I sit on the porch enjoying a glass of sun tea. Look at me, two days in Smallville and I'm already practicing the hillbilly arts of sun tea on the porch at dusk. I wave as soon as they can see me and I notice the kid on the passengers side. I wonder if they told him anything about me yet, I hope we can get along, if not I'm sure I can smack some sense into him. Alright… I won't smack him that hard, if at all, but I'm not about to let some regular teenager show me up! I put my tea down and walk over to help them with the luggage, which looks pretty loaded. God I hope this kid has some video games on him, I'm beginning to go through withdraw.  
  
"Evening Kon." Pa says as he gets out of the truck. "Were you waiting for us?"  
  
"No sir, I was just enjoying some tea and the sunset. You don't see it that often in Metropolis."  
  
"Did you have a hard time running the store today?" Ma asks as she gets out on Pa's side, the kid is still sitting where he was when I first saw him.  
  
"Nope, it wasn't that hard at all. I met a lot of your friends and told them that they'll probably be seeing me around the store."  
  
"Well that's great." Ma replies as she closes the door. "Kon, I'd like you to meet Kevin." I walk over and shake his hand. "Hey Kevin, nice to meet you."  
  
"Kon?" Kevin asks as he looks at Ma and Pa, "Is that short for something?" He turns to me.  
  
"Kon…er… Conner, Conner Kent." Riiiiiiiiiiiiight, good one their Kon, pulled that out of your ass.  
  
"So you're related to them too? How?" This Kevin kid is one nosy person.  
  
"I'm Pa's oldest brother's youngest grandson." Hell that explanation just confused me, and I made it up. "Here, let me help you bring your stuff to your room." I could take all his luggage if I wanted too, but it's a tad bit to early in the introduction process to show off. I walk into the house and up the stairs, stopping at the guest room. "This will be your room. Mines right across the hall and theirs is the one at the very end of the hall. There is a bathroom two doors down, right next to the master bedroom and another one downstairs."  
  
"So, what's your story Conner?"  
  
"Please, just Kon, and what do you mean "my story"?"  
  
"Why are you here, don't you have any family aside from them?"  
  
"No, everyone other than Ma and Pa were killed during the war… the attack that struck Topeka." I absolutely hate using the name of the people who lost their life in Topeka in vain like that, but if the kid insists on asking me questions about my personal life I have to give him answers that sound true. Not that he should care where I came from or why I'm here, but I'll be nice to him for now, because he's adjusting to everything and it must be hard. "We've got a lot in common Kevin, I'd like for us to be friends, after all, we're actually cousins by marriage."  
  
"Another family member that I need to get to know, I hope we can be friends too." Kevin flashes a smile at me, the first time I've seen him look happy. Granted, I've only known him for five minutes… but anything is an improvement over that dismayed face that he had when I first met him. "So, you used to live in Metropolis?"  
  
"Yeah, the glitz and glamour of the city of tomorrow, it was great."  
  
"And now you're stuck in Smallville."  
  
"Correction, we're stuck in Smallville." Both of us laugh a little.  
  
"Maybe together we can manage to stay one step cooler than these hicks."  
  
"Yeah, just do me one favor okay?"  
  
"What's that?" Kevin asks.  
  
"Don't ask me to give up flannel, it's grown on me in the two days I've lived here."  
  
"Flannel? Only in Kansas…" Kevin looks at me and winks, "but if you start liking country I will do everything within my power to get you to stop."  
  
"Country? Me? Please."  
  
"Don't be so sure that you can resist the demon vice." Point for him, that country can get into your mind and take over any semblance of taste in music. "We should go get the rest of my stuff before it gets too dark."  
  
"Yeah… we should." As we walk downstairs Ma stops us.  
  
"Tomorrow we'll get you boys registered at the high school." Boys… plural… wait a minute…  
  
"But Ma…"  
  
"No Kon, you are going to school too, and that's final." I guess it makes some sense, I look like I'm 16 years old and it wouldn't give them a good image to be taking care of someone who would appear to be a high school drop out. Besides, I didn't try too hard the first time when 'ex was tutoring me, and I'm sure that even the girls in Kansas must be somewhat good looking. I guess I'll have too…  
  
"Why did you think that you could get out of going to high school?" Kevin asks.  
  
"I dunno… wishful thinking, very wishful thinking." Well, maybe living in the middle of nowhere won't be so sad. I've got another person my age to talk too, two great people who can help me whenever I have a problem, and I guess I could make a lot of new friends at school… I guess.  
  
"Well I'm going to turn on the radio." Pa says… and of course, it's country. Maybe I could have Tim steal me a descrambler from the Batcave and place it on the radio tower…  
  
I hope you enjoyed this story, please review. 


	2. Part 2: Kon and Kevin meet Smallville

Authors Notes: Continuation of "A New Beginning", of course, all recognizable chracters are the property of Detective Comics, which is in turn the property of Warner Brothers Family Entertainment. or whatever. Also, all shows, characters from shows, etc, are the property of whoever owns that show. And finally, all characters that come from MY mind *read: everyone who isn't an important figure in the DCU and some other random people like the coach/principle* are characters of fiction and ANY resemblance to real living people is completely unintended. Quick note, I'm making the coach the principle as well, because I'm lazy and I hate figures of authority, ESPECIALLY in high school. He probably isn't and the high school probably has a real principle in the DCU, but still, for the story's sake. you know, deal with it. Of course, I intend on informing the reader *you* whenever the story changes perspective from a more third person view to Kon's own view as things are "happening". Make sense? Good. Also, please take note that this will more than likely be my LAST story submitted to fanfiction.net. All other stories *including continuations of this* will be continued at my website. *Kisses Lady Fanfiction.net goodbye* You've been great, but I can't really deal with all your smut and whatnot. sorry. Now let's get started!  
  
Chapter One  
  
Ma and Pa sat in the office awaiting the arrival of an old family friend. "Jon, Martha, not that I don't enjoy our rare conversations that we have when we bump into each other in town, but I must say that I never expected to see you two in the Principles office. After all, Clark graduated... what was it. ten years ago?" Walter Andrews, Principle and head football coach of Smallville high school commented as he walked into the office and sat in his chair. "And even then, Clark never got called in here, boy was right as rain. So. how can I help you two?" "Well Walter, Jonathan and I have recently had two teenage boys placed under our guardianship, and we would like to enroll them here as soon as possible." Ma answered. "Two teenagers you say? They already driving you up the wall and you want to drop them on us as soon as you can eh?" Walter began to laugh. "It's nothing like that Walt," Pa said, stopping the laughing man, "we both just feel that they should continue their educations as soon as possible, and that is not something that Martha or myself can give them." "I see." Walters face grew less happy and more serious. "If you don't mind my asking, are they foster children with no relation to either of you, or are they brothers?" "Neither Walt." Pa replied. Ma continued, "They are both our great-nephews, and are cousins by our marriage. They are also both orphans, we are the only living family that either of them have, excluding Clark, of course." "I'm sorry to hear that they have come to you under such tragic conditions. Also, I'd just like to say how much I admire you both for taking them in, even if it could cause possible inconveniences." "We just did what we thought was the right thing to do." Pa replied, gripping Ma's hand. "Of course." Walter said as he took a drink from his water. "You've brought the records that we need for both boys, right?" Ma nodded as she dug through her purse and pulled out the records. Of course, Kon's records were false, provided by Cadmus at the request of Superman and Superboy. "Conner Kent, age 16, grade, junior, and Kevin Clark, age 15, grade, sophomore." Walter placed the records in his secretary's bin and reclined in his chair. "So. are either of them as good at football as Clark?" "Walter!" Ma gasped out. "You can't be thinking about asking those two if they want to be on the football team, they've both just recently lost their parents." "Relax Martha, it's proven that football helps relieve any excess grief that the passing of a relative may cause." "And which magazine or medical record has proven this fact Walter?" "Uh. I can't remember off the top of my head." "Walter, please, do not ask them to join the football team so soon, give them time to adjust to the school at least." "Oh alright Martha, for you I won't ask them to join. Please have them stop by the office tomorrow before school starts so that we can give them their schedules." "We'll do that." Pa said as he and Ma got up from their chairs and began to walk out. "A please, as always Walter." "Likewise." Walter waited for them to close the door before he spun his chair around and looked out the window. "Two more Clark Kent's. imagine what the team could do with that." Walter pivoted his chair around and stared at all of the newspaper clippings on the wall, both local and national, devoted to the crows. Almost all of them had Clark Kent's picture, as well as him as the topic. Breaking records left and right, being untouchable during the championship game, all accredited to one teenager. "Just imagine. two more possible Clark Kent's."  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Ma and Pa walked into their truck and slowly pulled out of the parking lot. "Well," Ma began to say as they turn on main street, "that could have went better." "It could have went worse as well Ma, just remember that." "I can't stand the thought of that man pushing his foolish expectations on those two dear, sweet, boys Jon. I know he expects them both to be the caliber that Clark was. but he doesn't know why Clark was able to run so fast and hit so hard." "They'll both pick their own paths dear, regardless of what Walter wants them to do. Teenagers these days don't enjoy listening to figures of authority, especially in the home and at school." "Just imagine Jon. two more boys going to high school, living under our roof." "Report Cards." Pa said with a chuckle. "Formals." "Pep Rally's." "Girls." the two glanced at each other the moment Martha said the "g" word, "my GOD Jonathan. what did we get ourselves into this time?" "Nothing that we can't handle Ma, they are both good boys, they shouldn't give us any problems, especially in THAT department." (Kon's POV) Kevin stacks up the various products that we have here at the general store while he looks out the window at the passing members of Smallville's teenage populace, scoping out the ladies. "What about that one?" He asks. "Which one?" I reply while I clean the table. "The one on the left." I pick my head up and look out the window, the one he is referring too is a blonde, much like the majority of the "ones" that Kevin has pointed out since the school let out an hour ago. "She looks nice, I suppose." I go back to cleaning the table. "Man, what is with you Kent? Every girl that I've pointed out is a bombshell, and you haven't said anything other than, "she looks nice"." Kevin's calling me "Kent" startles me at first. Sure, I've been compared to Superman more times than I can count, as Superboy, but I've never really thought about what it's like to "share" the same last name with the man who puts on the tights and the cape and goes out to inspire everyone, meta or normal. I don't think I do him justice calling myself Superboy. but now, I have the public appearance of his cousin. I'm almost positive I can't live up to the Kent name, but I'll be damned if I won't try my hardest. "Kon?" Kevin waves his hand in front of me. "Hello?" "What?" I snap back into reality and stare at him. "Oh, sorry. Blondes just aren't my cup of tea." It isn't entirely true, I had that thing with Trixie, but for the most part I don't mix well with blondes. "So tell me, what IS your cup of tea?" "Something like." I look out the window and my jaw begins to hang down. At that very moment a girl with long raven hair and tanned skin passes by across the street, she reminds me of Tana. "something like that." Kevin turns around, but she has already walked past sight. "Missed her Kevin, but I can tell you right now, she was mighty fine." Kevin rolls his eyes, "If you say so." He turns around and walks into the back room, presumably to get more supplies. "I don't get it Kon, we've been working at the store for almost six hours now, and not a single person our age has come in." "We've just got to be patient Kevin. I mean, where else are the kids going to go? The mall? An arcade? The burger joint and the pizza parlor are about the only competition that we've got." "It's at times like this that I'm not shocked that Smallville has one of the highest teenage alcohol consumption rates in the state." "How did you find that out?" "Come on now, do you really think I would up and move to an entirely new town without doing a little research on it, would you?" Kevin winks at me as the bell sounds, its Ma and Pa. "You shouldn't believe everything that the confounded internet gives you Kevin, almost all of the information there is laced with lies." "I dunno Uncle Jon, I got that information from the census page itself. You know, the census, a program ran by the government itself, it has to be just and honest." Ma, Pa, and myself all exchange looks at each other before we start to laugh. "What's so funny?" Kevin asks, obviously perplexed. "Don't mind us dear," Ma says, "it's just that when you talk about honesty in a government where Lex Luthor is the most powerful person in the world. it strikes us as comedic." "Not fans of President Luthor I take it?" The boy doesn't know the half of it. best to keep him in the dark as long as possible. "Anyway," Pa intervenes the forthcoming silence, "we just got back from signing both you boys up at the high school. Starting tomorrow you'll both be Smallville crows." I look over at Ma, "He's not going to. you know, caw, is he?" "Caw Caw Caw Caw!" I place my head down and cover my face with my hand. "Too late, Kon." Ma places her head on my shoulder. Kevin starts to stack the canned goods again, "Great, a new school, new friends, new everything." "Kevin, are you alright?" "He's fine Ma, he's just thinking about all the farm-girls that he'll be able to charm with his city boy ways." I walk over to Kevin and hit him on the back, "Isn't that right?" "Huh?" "That's what I thought." I walk back over to the table and sit on one of the schools. "Going to high school. I wonder what it will be like." "What do you mean going to high school, Kon?" Kevin turns around, "You haven't been to high school before?" "Oh, yeah, I umm, I did home schooling in Topeka, my parents thought that it would be better for me and my sister if we engaged in private tutoring, that way we would get more time with those who taught us." Quick save for my slip. got to remember not to do that. "I told your parents that it would probably be better if you and your sister went to public schooling so that you could get more interaction with your peers." Ma quipped in, attempting the cover up. "What. what was your sister's name?" He asks. Does this boy EVER stop prying into other peoples lives? Ma and Pa glance at me. they can't help cover this one up, he would expect the answer to come from me, not them. "Oh. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." "You didn't offend me, but it's hard to talk about her, she was my twin sister, and her name was Linda." God, if Linda finds out that I ever told someone that I used her name in a fake story regarding my "life". well let's just hope she doesn't get those angel powers back or she might smite my behind. Pa speaks up to break the eerie silence, "Well, to celebrate the two of you becoming full members of the Smallville community, what say we have a congratulatory root beer float?" I smile and nod, "I could go for a float right about now." "I've been working for the past two hours straight, I think I deserve a break." Kevin trots over to the counter. "Last I checked, gawking at girls out the window did not qualify as work."  
  
He punches my arm, of course, I feel nothing. "And how much time did we spend cleaning a single table?" "What can I say, I like my tables to be clean." "Consider yourselves off duty boys." Ma says as she places the floats in front of us, "Pa and I can work the rest of the day, you save your strength for tomorrow, you'll need it." The door bell rings again and this time a teenager walks in, rather tall boy too, probably reaching just over six feet tall. "Afternoon Mr. and Mrs. Kent." His voice resonates power, must be a jock of some kind, or maybe just someone who people don't want to mess with. He turns and looks at Kevin and me, "Well who have we here? I can't say I've seen either of you around Smallville before." Ma walks in from the freezer, "Oh, hello Bradley, its nice to see you again." She smiles at him and he returns the gesture, "I see you've met my nephews, Kevin Clark and Conner Kent." Bradley shakes both of our hands, "Bradley Acres, Brad for short." "And I prefer to be called Kon." "So, are you two up here for some family shindig or something?" "No," Kevin replies, "we're here because we don't have any other family." Brad gulps a bit, "Sorry man. didn't know." Kevin just shrugs at him. "I take it you two plan on going to Smallville high?" A sorry attempt at a rebound question, but what else is he going to ask two complete strangers. "Yeah," I finish the last drink of my float, "our first day is tomorrow." "You'll probably like it, we might not have the biggest school around, but the people are all pretty nice to each other." Pa walks back into the main part of the store, "Hey Brad, I hate to ask a favor of you, but could you show these two around town, preferably the places that would have the stuff that they need to get started for school?" "It'd be my pleasure Mr. Kent, I had some stuff my mother wanted me to pick up, but I'll come get it later." Pa hands each of us a fifty, "Now you two don't go spending that on knick- knacks, I want you to buy yourself a book bag and pencils and paper and all that other stuff, you hear me?" "Yes, sir" I say as I take the money from his hand and put it in my pocket. "Whatever you say Uncle Jon." Kevin says as he does the same. "Well then, allow me to give you the grand tour of Smallville, and please, no pictures." We all walk out of the store.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Our first stop is the aptly named "Smallville sporting goods", it really isn't that far from the general store, certainly not that far for someone who's faster than a speeding bullet. who just happens to be someone else, not I. Of course, Brad knows the owners of this place too, and after about five minutes of introductions we finally get to the part that we came here for, shopping for backpacks, be still my beating heart. The thrill of shopping for a product that will carry my books passes over quickly and I'm stuck with looking at a less than stellar pool of choices. I laugh as I shuffle through the various bags and see one that has the S shield on it, should I? Nah. "You got something against Superman Kon?" Brad asks, possibly offended, foolish boy. "No, I have nothing against Superman. I just don't support all this commercialization of our world's greatest hero." "It's not commercialization, it's one of the only ways that we can show our support for his cause. We can't all be blessed with powers that make someone far more powerful than your basic mortal." Right, we can't all be blessed. just some of us. What he doesn't know can't hurt him, I guess. I find a bag that matches my personality, a basic blue, and I take it off the peg it was on. "So Brad, you do anything at school, or do you just go and wait for the day to end?" "I'm one of the star wrestlers for the school! The real mans sport!" I don't quite understand what is so manly about a bunch of guys wearing spandex and touching each other in an effort to drag the other onto the ground, plus I can name several females who could take Brad down in a heartbeat, and one of them is Lois. "But, since the wrestling season is over I don't really do anything aside from get my work done and help my parents around the house." Kevin peeks around from wherever he just was, knowing him it probably involved staring at some girls "What grade are you? Senior? Junior?" "Nah, I'm a Sophomore." That shocks both of us, but I stay quiet. "Growth spurts can be mans best friend." Brad looks down at me and smiles, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll hit yours soon enough." Oh, I'd like to hit something alright, but I doubt Ma and Pa would like me whacking our guide clear over to Maine, so I'll have to take another avenue of attack. I pass a dirty look at Brad and lean against the wall, using my tactical telekinesis I shake a row of bags off their support just above his head, they won't hurt him. much, but I'll get a laugh. Down they go, and he doesn't know. He's unsuspectingly hit by four of five bags and shakes his head, Kevin and I are too busy laughing to do much of anything else. "Did you do that?" I manage to maintain my laughter long enough to respond, "How could I have done that? Just like you said, we don't all have powers that make us more powerful than your average mortal man." Clark wouldn't have liked what I just did, but dammit a boy has to get his kicks in somehow, right? Brad rubs the back of his head, "Are you guys done yet?" I nod and Kevin holds up the bag that he wants to purchase. "Great, let's get to the cash register and we'll go to our next store." Kevin dully expresses, "If the store with the school supplies is called "Smallville School Supplies", I'm going to scream." "Nonsense, we are going to Smallville art's and crafts next, they have paper, pencils, binders, you know, the works." Kevin groans, and I too feel his pain, but I've dealt with worse. "I'm sorry if our little community doesn't have the glitz and glamour that you two are used too, but this is going to be your home for the foreseeable future, I suggest you take all of this in better than you have been." I can't stand much more of this, "Is it so much to ask that there be a McDonalds somewhere in the tri-county area!" "McDonalds, what's a McDonalds?" If there is a limit to how hick a person can be, Brad has all but passed it with not knowing what a McDonalds is. "Oh, it's one of those fast food chains that the people in Metropolis have, right?" Kevin snidely remarks, "No, it's one of those fast food chains that any civilized culture has." Sometimes I think that we may get along better than it would appear at other times, this, is one of them. "Let me tell you one thing Kevin, once you taste the burgers and fries that our drive through place makes, you'll never want that fast food gruel again." "Is it called "The Smallville drive through that makes burgers and fries that will make you never want that fast food gruel again?"" The boy has some pretty witty remarks. I have to give credit where credit is due, and he's making my job a whole lot easier. For once, I'm not the one with the comebacks, which of course means that I'm not the one who has to retort to a comeback from the other person, but looking at Bradley. it doesn't look like the boy has much in the way of smarts, must be why he wrestles. "No, it's called Jack's Drive-Through. We try and limit the words in our stores to four, less confusing that way." Okay. he's got a hint of wit in him every now and then, I suppose I second guessed the guy, wouldn't be the first time, there was that whole situation with 'ex. All second guessing does to me is make me feel insecure of my own ability to judge someone's character, and in my walk of life I can't afford to have another situation like the one I had with Knockout. "Tell you what, we'll stop by for a bite to eat as soon as we get done with the arts and craft place, Jack's is right across the street from there, and you might be able to meet some other teenagers." "That sounds like a plan." I concur. "Finally, I'll get to eat something else for dinner except Aunt Martha's meatloaf." "You've only been staying at the house for one night, besides, I like Ma's meatloaf."  
  
Chapter Four  
  
The arts and craft store was very uneventful, they had the paper and whatnot that we would be needed, nothing worth throwing a fiesta over. One good thing about living in the middle of nowhere, the stuff here is cheaper than it was in Honolulu or Metropolis, a whole lot cheaper. We've still got enough money to buy some food at Jack's, just hope Pa doesn't get mad at us spending money on food, he shouldn't, after all, we are "socializing". "Welcome to Jack's you two," Brad says as we walk in, "the premier hang out for the high school crowd." "If you can call it a hang out." Kevin less than enthusiastically adds. "Spoken like a true city boy. Jack's might not have those fancy Japanese dance machines that you read about in your video game magazines, but we have Pac-Man, Foosball, and Millipede." I start looking around the place, waiting for it. "Kon, is something the matter?" "No, I was just expecting to see Jack, you seem to know the owners of every other place in this town, why should this place be any different." "Kon," Brad starts to say in a soft tone, I think I just screwed up, "Jack died three years ago." "Boy done stepped in it now." I glance over at Kevin. did he just. "Woah, sorry, country-boy moment." "As my cousin so eloquently put it, I have indeed dug myself in a bit to deep, sorry, I didn't know." "It's alright, we'll make a Smallville-ian out of both of you yet." Do we really want that? "Come on, let's order some grub!" The menu itself is. well it has a lot of variety available. I finally decide on a double cheeseburger, some fries, and a strawberry shake, Kevin orders the chicken strips and some fries with a large iced tea, and Brad gets two double cheeseburgers, some fries, some onion rings, a vanilla shake, and a large coke. All his food barely manages to fit on the tray. "I take it you're the type of person who can eat your own weight in corn dogs and gain no weight at all, eh Brad?" Kevin asks as Brad places his tray on a nearby table. "You know it, but I also enjoy lifting weights and taking morning jogs after I wake up." I can fly from here to Tokyo and back under my own power, and I don't need to eat, but do you hear me bragging? Noooooooooo. Oh well, I guess being a normal and not a meta with a stomach of iron is as much a gift as having Zeus give you powers because he likes your spunk. Mental Note: Remind Cassie to set up a time for me and his highness to meet, maybe I'll get something cool too. Without warning I hear a bunch of people talking at once. I turn my head towards the door and I see someone walk in, followed closely by something akin to an entourage. He's taller than Clark, by a couple of inches easily, platinum blonde hair, probably bleached, and deep blue eyes. The moment he walked in the door I heard Brad groan, so I take up on my whim, "I take it you don't like Mr. Superstar over there." "Never let it be said that people from the city lack common sense. Yeah, I don't much like that guy." "Who is he?" Kevin wonders as he takes a drink of his tea. "His name is Chandler O'Donnel, he's a junior, and once the seniors this year graduate he'll easily be the most popular student at Smallville high. I'm sure you had his type at your high school back home Kevin, you know, all-star athlete with an ego that Captain Marvel couldn't budge." I've seen Cap in action, and he can move more than me, that must be one big ego. "He plays football, basketball, baseball, and he wrestles as well." This egomaniac, Chandler, walks over to the table that we are sitting at and chuckles, "Acres, you really shouldn't be eating so much, if you gain too many pounds, you'll have to change weight classes." His voice is full of arrogance, I sounded like that when I came out of the tube, and sometimes I still do. "I'm sure you'd love that, wouldn't you Chandler. If I get to a different class then I wouldn't go up against you in practice all the time, and I wouldn't beat you like a red headed stepchild." Do I sense a rivalry between these two? "You know damn well that you've never beaten me via pin." "Last I checked, you just needed the points to win, not the pin." Yup, definite rivalry. Chandler changes the topic, he's bright enough to know that he can't win that argument. "So tell me, are these two boys your new boyfriends?" Oh, hitting the homosexuality angle, good call. "You'd know more about having boyfriends than I would Chandler, after all, I only touch men because I have to, you enjoy slapping your teammates on the ass as often as you can." Wow, I really didn't give Brad enough credit, I can't help but laugh. "Are you laughing at me, little man?" Chandler attempts to act intimidating, but when you've stared at the people I've stared at, norms just don't tend to make you wince. "Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not." "I will not have some short little upstart come into MY town and insult me." "I know that you're going to take Government next year moron, but you can't claim a town, it belongs to everyone." Chandler knocks my food over the side of the table. "I hope you intend on paying me back for that." "No, I think you'll still be eating it." "Oh, you do?" "Yeah, once I get done knocking your ass unconscious and dragging that pretty boy face through the food on the ground." "That's enough Chandler!" Brad says, rather forcefully. "You stay out of this!" The fool and I say at the same time, with me adding, "I can fight my own battles Brad." "I guess I should warn you that I've been taking people your size down since I was in diapers. Maybe I should get your name, that way I know what to put on the tombstone." "Just shut up and fight." I notice the motions that he makes, he's going to try and punch me, I grab his hand and put some pressure on it, not enough to break his hand, but enough to make him wince. "You're a lot stronger than I thought you would be." I can detect the pain in his voice, this is rather fun. "Is this the best you have, I'm growing bored." One of the many things I've learned when I was fighting Tim is that if you can anger the person you're fighting, he or she will tend to be a whole lot easier to beat. Big dumb jocks, like Chandler here, are very easy to anger, and I just hit the right button. He attempts a kick that obvious suggest a martial arts background, either that or he enjoyed watching Mighty Morphing Power Rangers growing up and remembered some random moves. I don't have much in the way of kung-fu, but I know how to recognize basic side kick. Quickly I drop his hand and use the same hand to block his kick, while he's shocked I do a quick sweep and knock him down. "What was that you said about taking down people my size?" Again, another tactic just to make him mad, and the oaf takes it. He shouts out in rage and charges me, a quick parry followed by an elbow to the back of the head while he's running past me and it's over, or at least I don't want to show of anymore. I walk over to him and kneel, "My name is Connor Kent, I suggest you remember not to mess with me." He mutters something but stays down, not the brightest bulb around, but he knows when he is beat. "Clean up near table eight please." And with that, I walk out of the place, Brian and Kevin shortly follow. "My god Kon, I've never seen anyone take down Chandler with such ease, how'd you do it?" "Well, when you're as short as I am you tend to find ways to deal with bullies at a young age." "Who knew you had that in you Kon." Kevin says. "I knew, Kevin, I knew." I look back and see Chandler get up, he sees me and gives me a less than friendly gesture. "I just made my first high school enemy, is that a good thing?" "Normally, when it's Chandler, it isn't," Brad says as he places his hand on my shoulder, "but I think you can handle anything he dishes out." I nod, and then tell them, "Let's get back to the general store, or Kevin and I might be walking back to the Kent farm."  
  
Chapter Five  
  
The entire walk back to the store is basically the two of them commenting on how cool what I did back at the drive-through was so cool. A year ago I would have been in the thick of it, basking in my own glory and feeding my own self-image, but I'm not that person anymore. at least not as much as I was back then. Several times I make some comment about how I've taken on bigger and better than Chandler, but for the most part I stay quiet for the walk. I do manage to tell both of them not to mention a thing to Ma and Pa, no need for them to know that some jackass tried to cover his ass and got it handed to him instead. When we get back Brad grabs the stuff that his mother had requested he purchase, and he requests that Ma call his mother and tells her that he was out showing us around town, so he won't get in trouble with his family. As soon as Brad's out of the store we close down and pile into the pick-up on our way back home. Ma goes on her own tangent about how much fun it will be making school lunches for the kids again, while Pa wonders why we took so long. Kevin stays quiet. good boy, knows when to keep his mouth shut, valuable asset in these troubled times we live in. I tell Pa that we met some locals, which isn't a lie, it's a clever omission of some parts of the truth, right? Right! As soon as we pull up in front of the house Ma goes to make dinner and Pa to watch the evening news. "Well," Kevin says as he sits on the porch, "now what?" "We could go watch the news with Pa." "Please, allow me one more day of nothing educational, I'll have to actually, you know, learn, again tomorrow." "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" "Not really," Kevin shifts a bit so he's leaning in the walkway, "its just high school Kon. What's the worst that can happen? I can be unpopular and ignored, I've done that before." "Not Mr. Popularity back at the school at home I take it?" Kevin laughs a bit, "Hardly. I was the person that was viewed as the type who couldn't have friends, because I wouldn't allow myself to open up and make friends. It's partly true, but for the most part I let their opinion of me shape the type of person that I appeared to be. I was tolerated, not liked, at my old high school, I don't want that to happen again, but if it does, oh well." "Hey, you'll never be alone, I'll be there. Besides, with the exception of Brad and that jackass we had the misfortune of meeting earlier, you're the only person my age that I know, who else am I going to hang out with?" "Thanks. I think. But what about you Kon, this is going to be your very first time at a public high school, and in some town that 95% of the American populace hasn't even heard of." "It's like you said, it's just high school, I'm sure I'll do well enough there to get into college and make something of myself." "What do you want to be after you get out of college?" "You know it's funny, but I honestly don't know." What I really don't know is if I'll be alive, and it's not like I'll really age any. As it stands, this is what I was created to do, this is what I'm best at doing. "I'd like to be a member of the media, you know, like Lois." "You want to write for a world renowned newspaper too?" "Not necessarily a paper, I could see myself as an actor, or a news broadcaster. Regardless of what path I take, I could probably ask Lois and Clark for advice, sometimes it pays to have such worldly relatives. I just hope that I can honor the memory of my parents." Ouch, throwing in the honoring thy mother and father piece, that might crush him, the weight of all the hopes and dreams of his now late parents having an impact in every decision he makes. "Sometimes hope is the only thing that can keep us going Kevin," Although bashing in Supervillains is a nice substitute for hope, "remember that." "Do you feel like you have someone or something to live up to Kon?" Everyday I put on that S, I know I have something to live up too. "Yeah, I do. But if you let everything that you do be decided by someone else, you'll never have any fun." "And without fun in ones life, it lacks a purpose." Ma sort of appears at the doorway, adding her own piece. "Dinners ready boys, come on inside." Never let it be said that a superhuman cannot be impressed by even the slightest of accomplishments. Kevin and I weren't even outside for half an hour and yet Ma's able to make some three course meal in that time. Dumbfounded, I ask, "How do you do it Ma?" "I had the ham done before we went to the high school, all I had to do was keep it in the oven so it wouldn't get cold, yet keep the temperature low enough so it wouldn't burn. After that, all I had to do was make the corn, and toss the salad together, it really wasn't that hard." "Oh. seems easy enough. I guess." We say grace, although I never really thought I was the religious type, but I'm a guest here, so I might as well respect their system. I take some ham, a couple of spoon fools of salad, a smidge of corn, and within moments I'm enjoying one damned fine home cooked meal. The dinner conversation is a tad bit dull, Ma and Pa talking to each other about stuff they should add to the store, basically a two way conversation with the exception of those rare moments in which they ask me or Kevin for our own opinion. I finish my meal and place my utensils down, "May I be excused please?" "You sure you don't want seconds son?" Pa asks. "No sir, I had some food with Brad and Kevin earlier." "Not that you ate any of it." Oh, he did not just say that, did he? I can see his face turn worried, yeah, he did. "Um. I gotta go, you know, prepare for tomorrow, great dinner Aunt Martha!" I pass a glare at Kevin as he runs up the stairs. he will feel my wrath, when I feel like it. "Kon, is there something that you aren't telling us?" Ma asks in a gentle tone. "We don't take kindly to liars in our house son, tell us the truth." For the first time I know why even Clark is just a tad scared of Pa. that voice. wow. I guess you have to perfect a stern voice when your son is the most powerful being on earth. "Some jerk named Chandler tried to pick a fight with me at Jacks, so I showed him who was boss." "Chandler O'Donnel?" Pa asks, and I nod. I tell them the entire story, but I also let it be well known that I did not start the entire thing, he did, nor did I actually harm him. at least not severely. "And that's what happened." Ma cups my hands in hers and grips softly, "You shouldn't have fought him in the first place, but at least you knew just to let him beat himself, instead of really hurting the boy." "Just try to show some restraint next time Kon, you can really hurt someone without actually trying, you could kill someone." "Yes sir. If you don't mind, could I go fly for a bit, I've been on the ground for three days now, I'm starting to have withdrawals." "Just stay out of sight." Pa tells me. "And be back before dark!" Ma adds. "I will, I promise." I walk outside and make sure that I'm on the end of the house opposite Kevin's room. One quick scan around the area and I'm up in the air. It feels really good to just be flying around in the air, spending all my time on the ground and be so. confining. I didn't tell them the entire reason why I needed to fly, I just needed some time alone. I could see it in both of their eyes, they were disappointed in what I did, even if they didn't show it, I knew. It's a weird feeling, having your "parents" feel disappointed in you, and it's both a good and bad feeling. "You're a very hard boy to find these days Kon." Who in the hell? "Cassie?"  
  
Chapter Six  
  
"Yeah, that's right, Wonder Girl, in the flesh." "Is something the matter, do I need to go bash something?" "No, but you haven't been around in three days, Slo-bo was getting kind of worried." "Slo-bo?" I chortle, "Cassie, please give me more credit than that. You and I both know that Lobo doesn't give a rat's ass about anyone but himself. Why are you really here?" Cassie lands on the mountain top below, and I follow her. "Fine, Tim missed you." "Don't believe that one either." "Anita?' "Nope." "Bart?" "Uh-uh." "Fine, I missed you just a little bit." I raise my eyebrow, "A little bit?" "Alright, I miss having someone to yell at, you happy!?" "I can feel the love already." "So what's the story, you working on some big bad supervillain that you want the credit for or something?" "Nope, I'm just taking orders from big blue, staying with some friends of his in order to find myself." "But you already know who you are, a cocky, arrogant, bastard." "Thanks a lot Cass." "Call them like I see them Kon." Does she really think so lowly of me, I mean, really? "Look, I just wanted to make sure you were okay, you haven't quit the team or anything have you?" "No, I haven't quit the team, but I would like a little privacy, not quite reserve status, but only call me if you really need me." "What's more important than saving the world from evil?" "High school." "High school?" She starts to laugh, "You aren't serious are." my face shows that I am dead serious, "you are serious? You're going to high school in Smallburg?" "It's Smallville!" "Sorry, Smallville, but why?" "The people who I'm staying with requested that I attend high school, so I complied with their wishes." "Well. I mean. high school. I guess." "I don't like it any more than you do Cass, so don't attempt to sugar coat the situation. Just trust me, please, this is what I need to do." "If this is what you think you have to do Kon, than and I can't really say anything about it, can I?" "No, you can't." She walks over to me and gives me a shallow hug. "If you need me, just call, or fly, whichever is faster. Good luck finding yourself Kon." "See ya Cass." She flies off in one direction and I fly in the other. She knows that I'm doing the best thing for me, she'll tell the rest of the team. I just hope they'll accept a somewhat slightly less social Superboy. Ah, who am I kidding, they are probably enjoying the very thought of being Kon free, if only for a bit.  
  
Hopefully you thought it was worth the time to read, part three will come soon. well. maybe. 


	3. Superoy enters Smallville high

Authors Notes: Nothing really to add here, ya'll know the drill, if it's a character, show, whatever, if it's well known the people who made said well known thing, they own it. If the character is not known at all, changes are I made him/her. continuing my Superboy series, let's go.  
  
Chapter One  
  
Sleep is one of those things that I don't need, yet it feels so good. My first night of sweet, unadulterated sleep. interrupted by one sound. "Kon, you need to wake up dear."  
  
"Just five more minutes Ma, please." "That's the thing Kon, you have to go in five minutes." "What?" I shot up from the bed and looked over at the clock, five before seven. "Damn it!" "Language!" "Sorry Ma!" I ran to the bathroom and jumped in the shower. Enhanced speed is truly a blessing in disguise at times like this. I was able to shower, get dressed, and be downstairs all within three minutes. Of course, Bart could have done it in three seconds. but I'm not one of the fastest beings in the universe, I'm just a couple times faster than humanly possible. "Morning sleepyhead." Kevin says, leaning against the television. "I would have woken you up after I got out of the shower, but you look so cute when you aren't rambling." "Kevin." "Yeah?" "Bite me." "I'd love to Kon, but I'd probably get some of my breakfast in your bloodstream, and I doubt that would be healthy." Yeah, like he could pierce my skin. Riiiightttttt. "Speaking of which, aren't you going to get something to eat before we leave?" "No time for that." "But breakfast is the most important meal of the day." "So I'll make up for it tomorrow by eating twice as much!" Not even seven in the morning and already the boy is pissing me off. "Come on, let's wait in the truck for Pa." "Actually, he's waiting in the truck for you." "Oh." I open the door and start to walk out, but I'm stopped just as I'm about the shut the door, a brown paper bag shows up in front of my face. "I think you might want this." Ma smiles as she dangles the bag, I smile back and nod as I reach for it. "You have fun today, you hear?" "I always do Ma. See you after school." I close the door and wave to Ma who's watching from the window as I walk to the car. Pa and Kevin are already sitting in the truck, laughing at my absentmindedness. "Thankfully we only have to wake up early for the first day to get our classes." "Of course, you might as well make a habit out of waking up late, skipping breakfast, and forgetting your lunch, you do it so well." I give Kevin a smug look, and hold pack the clenched fist. "Good Morning Kon." "Morning Pa. Couldn't wait to get rid of us for the next couple of hours, could you?" Pa scoffed a bit, "It's not that, Ma and I tend to get up early in our old age, since we don't stay up very late so I'm up and ready to start the day really early." "Or maybe it's just the coffee talking." "The coffee just aids the perk Kevin, it doesn't fuel it." "If you say so Uncle Jon." "Well, let's get you two to school." Pa released the clutch and drove out to town. The ride to the school was about as eventful as a root canal, maybe a little more painful if you add the fact that Pa made sure the radio was on country, amid much personal protest from the two of us. It didn't help. but at least we expressed our opinion, might come in handy when Kevin becomes voting age, boot Luthor out of office, assuming he doesn't get impeached for whatever shady activities that he did to get in the office to begin with. Pa dropped us off and expressed the fact that he wants us to have fun and make the most out of the education that we are getting. I didn't do any checking but I'm pretty sure Kansas has a pretty low education value. We beat Texas and California, but come on, which state doesn't do that much? After a couple of minutes shuffling through the halls looking for the main office we found it, in the middle of the entire school no less, and walked in. The receptionist was busy typing up something on the computer but she looked up when she heard the door close. "Oh, hello, you must be the two students who are transferring here." "Uh." I said as I turned over to Kevin, both of us blank faced. Does nothing happen in this school that the transferring of two students would be that important? ". yeah, that would be us." "Great!" She gave a somewhat forced happy face as she got up from her chair and walked over to the door closest to her, opening it. "Principle Andrews, they are here, would you like me to send them in?" She took a momentary pause before she nodded her head and turned around, "Please, go in." Kevin and I walk into the room, Kevin shuts the door behind him. In front of us is a chair, faced with its back to our faces. "Uh." Kevin starts to say, "Do you think we are supposed to just sit down and wait for someone else to come in?" He glances at me and I shrug. A voice says from behind the chair as it turns, "That won't be necessary." I see Kevin jump a bit and I chuckle. "Oh my." The person in the chair, a man, stares at me, "you are definitely a Kent, you look so much like Clark it's eerie." What can I say? Cadmus put a whole lot of money in my creation to look like a younger version of Superman, I should tell them that they did a damned good job. Of course, Clark isn't really a Kent by birth. he's an El. but still. "Oh, forgive me, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Principle Walter Andrews. Welcome to Smallville high school." He shakes both of our hands, "Please, sit down, let's get your classes in order. Now, I hope you both know that you are required to take a total of six classes at this school, and three of those classes must be math, social sciences, and English." I groan, both math and social sciences, they just want to sugar coat it when we all know that it's just a nice way to say HISTORY. These people are trying to kill me through boredom, why me. He gets out two files, one marked with my "name", the other with Kevin's. "Well, Conner." I interrupt, "Please, call me Kon." "Very well, Kon, our records indicate that you will be placed in junior level English, you advanced Algebra, and United States history," An even lower grown escapes my mouth, "everything else is up to you." Well, there is one plus, "Ooh, flexibility, I like that." "Of course, I'd assume that you would like to be placed in one of the newspaper classes." "Um. no." "I'd like to be placed in one of the newspaper classes." Kevin butts in. "Kevin, it is Kevin right, not "Kev"?" Kevin nods, "Well, placing you in one of the schools newspaper classes shouldn't prove a problem. However, you will also have Sophomore English, Geometry, and Biology, and." Principle Andrews looks at the file, ". well, apparently you took the class that we would have placed you in during summer school at your old school, so it looks like you'll have an extra elective." Curse that boy! He doesn't have to take history for the rest of the year, damn him! The principle hands both of us a list of classes to take. "These other classes are the choices that you have, take all the time you need." We both have our schedule worked out within 15 minutes. In addition to the already hellish classes that I need to take, I've picked, physics, Tim should know enough about that to help me out, Greek Mythology, Cassie will be one of my best friends when I need help for this class, and if not, I'm sure she can give me Diana and Donna's number, and leadership, the class seems easy enough, lead people, and I am a natural born leader. That's right, inflate that ego even more Kon, inflate it! Kevin picks weight training, the boy IS a little bean pole, it should help, computer programming, and beginning Spanish. We still have twenty minutes before school officially starts by the time that we are done with everything, our schedules printed out, and we are leaving the room. "Wait!" Both of us turn around again, "Kon, are you interested in trying out for the football team? The try outs start pretty soon." "No thank you, I'm not interested in sports." Or, at least I'm not interested in sports where I'm playing with a bunch of norm's who I could easily harm if I got into it to much. "A pity." Principle Andrews sighs, "Clark was a great football player." "I know, but I'm not Clark." We walk out the door and I slam it. "Are you sure that was the wisest thing to do?" "Maybe not, but at least I was honest. Besides, people shouldn't automatically place the mantra of "Clark Kent" on me simply because we are cousins. I'm my own person, not his shadow." Funny how I'm experiencing the same problems as Conner Kent that I did when I was starting out as Superboy, I just hope that I can get out of this shadow like I was able to get out of that one.  
  
Chapter Two  
  
As we walk out of the main offices of the school its beginning to get more populated. A lot of the people who walk by us just look at us, some smile, but none of them introduce themselves. The people here either have huge sticks up their collective asses, or they don't really enjoy talking to strangers the moment they look at them, I hope it's the second one. Brad bumps into us and gives us the grand tour of the school, which takes all but ten minutes. It isn't a big school, hell, I've seen Metropolis pre- schools that are bigger than this entire high school. None the less the school has a certain. charm to it. The bell rings and Brad leads me to my first classroom, English. I look at the door to the classroom and gulp a bit. Why am I nervous? I've stared possible death in the eye several times and each time I've come out in one piece, why is this unnerving me so much? "Get over it Kon, just open the damned door!" Luckily, no one is coming up when I have my one on one self motivational talk, and I manage to turn the door handle and open it. More eyes on me as I walk in, but I act cool and walk over to what I presume to be the teacher's desk, but the person who is sitting in that desk looks like he's younger than Clark, he can't be the actual teacher, maybe a substitute. He doesn't really look like a teacher either, his brown hair is somewhat spiked, not a very professional look, but not spiked enough to make him look like a goth poser. "Can I help you?" His voice is confident, but not that deep. "I'm a transfer student, I was placed in this class." I hand him my schedule and he gets up, he's barely an inch taller than I am, and I'm rather short for a 16 year old. "I see. Well, Conner, I guess I'll be your English teacher for the remainder of the year. You may call me Mr. Newmark" He extends his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mr. Newmark." I extend the gesture and shake. "But please, if it isn't too much trouble, could you call me Kon?" "That shouldn't be too hard." He smiles at me. "Please take that seat Kon," He points to the desk at the other end of the class, "we should be starting class soon enough." I sit down at the desk that Mr. Newmark has requested that I sit in. I can see the other people who are in the class look at me, some of them whisper to the other students and point at me, but I'm a lot more assured of myself now that I've walked into the class and sat down. A second bell rings, one that I can only assume is something like a tardy bell, a handful of students got in just before the bell rang, and collectively breathe a sigh of relief. It is now safe to assume that the bell meant something of trouble if you did something wrong and got caught in it. Mr. Newmark walks over to the blackboard and leans against it, "Good Morning class." The class gives a half hearted reply, most of them must be tired from all the nighttime excitement that Smallville gives them. "As I'm sure some of you have noticed, we have a new student here." Every single head turns to look directly at me, a little unnerving? Yeah. "Kon," he continues, "if you'd like to tell the rest of the class a little bit about yourself." I stand up, have to show these people that I have a lot of confidence in myself, even when I'm in a new, much less familiar setting, and even if I don't really have any and I'm secretly wishing I was back at the apartment complex in Metropolis without a care in the world. Of course, the apartment complex blew up, and that's what got me into this whole mess. "Hi, my name is Kon Kent, I'm originally from Topeka," the moment I mention the town I can feel the mood switch from dull to just plain morbid. The people here know what happened in Topeka, hell, they got caught in the aftershocks of what happened in Topeka. This could would one of two ways, they'll either ask me what it was like living in the town when the probe hit, in which case I'll have to make up more B.S., or I could just lie and say that it's too painful to talk about. The other possibility is that they'll just avoid me, thinking that simply living there has somehow made me less than human, like all I know is death and pain. In all honesty, I don't know which I would prefer they think. "I've been schooled at home my entire life and this is my first time in a public school environment. I really don't have anything else to say, my life has been pretty much uneventful." Another lie, I could waste a week of class time on the things I did once I came out of the pod, but why bother, public school systems are shot enough without me mucking up valuable class time telling them how I managed to kick the Scavengers ass yet again. "Well, it's good to have you with us Kon. Now class, yesterday we closed with a discussion on our next essay question, which I hope you." Mr. Newmark is cut off by the entrance of a late student. Of course, it just happens to be Chandler, great news for me I'm sure. "Chandler, you're late again." "Funny, my watch says I'm early." Was I foolishly expecting that he wouldn't make some smart ass remark to get himself out of trouble? I was. "Yes well the schools clock says you're late, and the schools clock is what I go by." Chandler just got told, go Mr. Newmark. "Do we really have to go through this every morning? Please go take your seat and I'll give you your detention later." "Aww, come on Mr. Newmie! The try-outs are after school today, I can't have detention!" "Don't call me "Mr. Newmie" Chandler. Also, I'm sure that the team can handle you being a little late to your precious try-outs. Now please, take your seat, you're disrupting the class." Chandler walks to his seat, slowly adding, "I wouldn't be disrupting anything if you weren't so uptight." "What was that?"  
  
"I just sneezed." "I thought so." I can see that Mr. Newmark is my kind of teacher, small, but forceful. Chandler sits down in a seat one in front and to the right of me. Great, I've got the nimrod within talking distance, lady luck must be on vacation. "Now then, as I was saying, before we ended class yesterday I told you that today would be the day that we would work on an essay with the topic of what living in Smallville has shown you. Please, get started on it and if you need any help raise your hand." This question could prove problematic, since I haven't been in the town for a week yet, but he picks up on it. "Kon, why don't you write about what you hope to gain by staying here." That question isn't much easier, but I think I can manage, so I nod. What do I hope to gain by staying here? I told Cassie that I wanted to find who I am while I'm here, sort of a personal journey, a coming of age thing. That should impress the teacher, hopefully. I'm about to get started when I catch a paper ball that is thrown at me, I don't need to look up to know who it is. "What do you want Chandler?" "What are you doing in my school? In my class? The junior high is a couple of miles from here." God damn this boy is beyond annoying. And didn't we have the whole discussion about what you can and can't own last night before I made him look like an ass? "I'm attempting to gain an education Chandler. I believe the last time you gained one was when you learned to spell your first and last name, I'm assuming your middle name still gives you trouble." "You son of a bitch!" He slams his fist on his desk, and everyone looks up from their desk. "Chandler!" Mr. Newmark yells from his desk, "I'm making your detention out as we speak, but I could easily turn it into a request for suspension on the grounds of constant disruption of class, and I highly doubt that would work well with your oh so important try-outs. I can assure you that if you dare to make a scene in this class for the remainder of the period I will do such a thing, now get to work!" The class erupts into a string of "oooohs" and I look at Chandler as he clenches his fist. I just can't help myself, "Good one genius." He tries to do something, but he knows better, even he has some common sense. By the time the class has finished I'm able to turn in a two page essay on how I hope to find who I really am while I stay here. I throw in my past tragedies and how they complicated the maturity process while in some strange way making me stronger because of them. Not a very bad try for someone who hasn't written something for a grade in at least two years. I'm walking down the hallway when Chandler runs in front of me and refuses to move. "Chandler, I really don't have time to deal with you right now, can you give me the condensed version of whatever moronic statement you're about to say in order to make yourself seem like a big boy so we can both get on with our lives?" "Boy, you don't know what you got yourself into messing with me, do you?" "No, and frankly I don't give a damn." "You'll soon learn that you shouldn't mess with someone who has power like me." "Never let it be said that nepotism didn't aid in the deterioration of our once great country. Well, that and years of inbreeding." I can see that he knows what inbreeding means, and I can also see that he doesn't like being called an inbred. "Have fun in detention, I'm sure you know how." By now there is a small crowd surrounding us, and they are busting up with laughter. Of course, Chandler knows better than to attempt to hurt someone in such a big crowd, and he probably feels a little sore based on what happened last night, so he finally moves out of the way. Well, now that I've spent five minutes of our ten minute break with him, I might as well go to my next class. I look at my list and I see that History is next. God, could I get any unluckier?  
  
Chapter Three  
  
I wish I could say that in my growing life experiences I've grown more attuned with our nation's history, but then I would be lying. The growing boredom did remind me of how much 'ex would have to fight me to pick up my history book while we were staying in Hawaii, it was a good memory. To my credit, I managed to stay up the entire time, which is more than enough reason for a congratulatory party in my honor when we get out of school. Of course, the homework load was beyond painful, but I figure I can get away with doing less in this class and trying more in the other classes to balance out the mark that I'd get in History. It's a good plan, in theory. Of course, the next class, Physics decides that it doesn't want to be on my good side either. First period I have the class with Chandler, which should prove to always be fun and eventful, if not the most annoying 50 minutes to start the day off, and then followed by the double whammy of history and science, the two subjects that I detest more than any other. I wonder if I can arrange for one of those hand held recorder things to be set on record while I sleep during those two classes, followed by a tutor in order to catch up on what I missed. Hey. it could work, although it seems unlikely. Maybe my next class can give me the break I need after suffering the indignities of learning why things fall down (because we get hit by random blasts of energy, or get hammered by someone who has enough raw power to throw this entire school out into space, obviously) or just why FDR's new deal was so important to the country. I think I was busy thinking about how much fun it would be if I were underneath Shakira's clothes. I wonder. you think she'd give me the time of day? The last class I have before the sweet merciful break that we call lunch is Leadership. The classroom itself is a couple of doors down from my physic's classroom, so I'm one of the first people in the class, the strange part is that the teacher isn't in the classroom either. I look around the class again, and then I look in the office that is right next to the classroom, nobody. I take a seat in the middle row. Oddly enough, this class doesn't have any desks, it has tables like the lab tables in my physics class. I'm guessing that I'll find out the reason for this when class actually starts. After several minutes of waiting and wondering what this class will be like, and the how the people who take this class will act towards the "new guy" I see someone walk in carrying a manila folder. This person is a woman, probably middle-aged, a little pudgy, and she's shorter than I am. I go out on a whim and assume that she's a teacher, if not, well, she must be a really old high school student, or maybe the teachers aid. This woman looks at me, not with hostility, but in a fashion that alarms me. "Are you the new student?" Her voice is firm, but not in a way that demands respect. Still, I nod in conformation, first impressions should be good, you know. Odd that she doesn't ask for my name, but whatever, it's on her roll sheet. "I'm Mrs. Brownstone, I guess you're stuck with me for the rest of the year." Note that she didn't say that she was stuck with me for the rest of the year, always a good sign. "We don't really do much in this class, just watch movies of school activities and think of themes for upcoming dances or other events." That. seems easy enough, but where does the leadership part of the class come in? "I'm sure you'll fit in with the requirements just fine." If the requirements are just sitting in my seat watching movies why wouldn't I? "If you have any questions, just look for me and I'll help you out." "Thanks." I don't really need to say anything more, but the thanks means a lot, after all, it appears that she is giving me the break that I need after those other classes, looks like I finally got some luck on my side. The tardy bell rings, and, just like always, a lot of people rush in before it ends. You'd think they would just learn to walk faster or something. Mrs. Brownstone turns off the lights in the classroom and waits for everyone to get settled, which doesn't take that long. "Well, I just got the spring homecoming tape back, so we'll be watching that for the entire class. I'd like you to try and find things that went wrong with the dance and tell me about them when you get the chance that way we don't do the same thing next year." She doesn't really expect us to look for those, right? I can already see that people are reading magazines, talking amongst their own little groups, or are asleep on the table. I guess I picked the right class if I wanted to get something done without the worries of missing anything important. I try to watch the video, but I can't really watch a video where the main attraction is seeing a bunch of people hang balloons and posters. I did notice that the theme of the homecoming is a very nice one, "Our non-powered heroes!". The floats all have some department of aid as the attraction, a fire truck here, an ambulance there. You can see the care that each class and club put into their overall presentation, I wouldn't mind pitching a super powered hand in making something that provides such a positive message. Still, good intentions or not, this film is boring the hell out of me. Someone taps me on the back of my shoulder and I quickly turn around. "Hey, you're Conner Kent aren't you?" "Kon is what I liked to be called, but yeah. I guess word gets around fast if you already know who I am. But, who are you?" "Actually I took a guess because I knew that someone who was related to the great Clark Kent was transferring to our school, and since you look so much like him, I just assumed it was you." It figures, looks like I'll be doing some overtime on the getting out of Clark's shadow thing. "Oh, yeah, sorry, I'm Kyle O'Donnel, it's a pleasure to meet you." O'Donnel? This could be bad news for me. "You aren't Chandler's brother, are you?" Kyle laughs, "Yeah, I'm Chandler's older brother. He told me about how he tried to get into it with someone who looked like Clark and said he name was Conner." Here it comes, the "don't mess with my little brother or I'll pound you" speech. "Good job." "Excuse me?" You weren't supposed to say that out loud genius! "Listen, I know what an ass my little brother can be to everyone else. Since I'm so close to graduating he thinks he's some sort of high school god, the power gets to his head. I'm glad you embarrassed him in front of everyone else last night, it was a huge blow to his ego." Can we say exact opposites for brothers? If it weren't for the resemblance I would refuse to believe that they were really brothers. But they share the same face and eyes, it has to be true. "Of course, he wouldn't shut up about how he was made a fool out of some new person, and for that I should be mad." "Um. sorry, I guess." Kyle shakes his head, "Don't apologize, like I said, he deserved it. You should be proud." He pats me on the back. "So, are you going to try out for next year's team?" "No, I don't care for football." "That's alright man, to each their own. You know, if it wasn't for your cousin I would own all the records that he does. I just can't seem to beat him." "Clark is a man ahead of his time." After all, how else would he get that "Man of Tomorrow" nickname? "You shouldn't try to beat his records Kyle," Mostly because no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to, "just try to be the best player that you can be, nobody should require anything more from you." "I just can't stand not being the best! I've always been the best at everything I've ever done." Good lord, do I really need this to turn into a self-help session for a jock that just can't stand being anything less than perfect? I'm beginning to see more than the physical resemblance between Kyle and Chandler. "It's just a lot to take in, the golden boy who just can't catch up to the legend." I guess I should try and soothe him, it would at least get him talking about something else. "Some things just aren't meant to be broken. You know, the vault containing Cher's original face, Wonder Woman's golden lasso, and. my cousins records. You are the best Kyle, but Clark's from a different generation than us, and he's able to do things that we can't, just like we can do things that he can't." "Really? There are things that Clark Kent can't do?" I nod, "Like what?" "Well, he isn't the best singer and dancer in the world. Lois complains about his two left feet a lot." The worst part is. that's true. "So, even the "legend" isn't perfect." Although you'd be hard pressed to find a better person than Clark. "I guess so, that's a great thing to know, thanks." "Sure." The tape is still playing, and they announce who the king is, it just "happens" to be Kyle. "God, I hate wearing that crown, it messes up my hair." I laugh, "Do you realize how many people would kill to wear that crown?" "Why? All these foolish homecomings revolve around how popular one person is, the people who decide who is and who isn't the winner couldn't really care less, they just vote for the person who they know." "A jock who understands that popularity means little in the real world, I must say, I'm shocked." "Hey, I'm not a jock! I might be a damned good football player, and be really popular because of that, but I'm not a jock! I don't step over anyone to get to the top like my brother and the other jocks do." "Sorry. I didn't mean to offend." "I just don't like being placed under a certain profile simply because of what I can do, or who am I. Do you know what I mean?" "You mean like how the minute I stepped onto this school I was expected to write for the newspaper, and play football? Yeah, I think I know where you're coming from." "It sucks, doesn't it?" "Yeah, but you can't let who you're expected to be shape who you actually become. Don't sacrifice your own ideals just because it wouldn't be something that a person of your standing would do." "You know, you're really mature, I mean, for a freshman." "I'm a junior." "Oh. I just assumed that you would be taller if you were a junior." I wonder if plastic man had this problem when he was young, before he got his powers. It must be cool, being able to look taller than you actually are, just like that. "I'm used to it now." The end bell rings and everyone shuffles out of the class for lunch. "Hey, I'll talk to you later Kon." Kyle says as he gets up and walks out. I'm left wondering where the time went. Surely I didn't have a discussion with the older brother of that hairless ape Chandler for almost an hour. "Sometimes you just have to talk to someone before you judge them." I'm talking to myself again, aren't I? "Damn!" Ok, just walk out of the class and look for Kevin or Brad, this time I manage to do so without replying.  
  
Chapter Four  
  
One of the advantages that this school gives its students, in addition to the wonderful view of the many corn-fields that line the Smallville valley, is the fact that they give us an actual lunch hour, none of that calling it lunch hour and it really being 40 minutes crap, and the campus is open, so we can get a much needed break from the smell of the school. You know, the lingering stench of athletes foot, mixed with the realization of some that the will never get out of this town, dooming themselves to the same fate as their parents, toss in the idiocy of your average inbreed group of farmers, hit puree, and that's pretty much it. And people wonder why they can't get the drug smelling dogs to set foot on campus. I don't know where Kevin and Brad are, and looking for them would prove rather stupid without my lunch, because then we would just have to make a trip to my locker simply to get the lunch. So I decide to save my would be relative and my main source of "who's who" information the trip and pick up my lunch before I decide to go on a manhunt. Hmm, maybe I can page J'onn on the moon, he is a manhunter after all, maybe 1-800-Collect would save them money, if it even reaches the moon. The stupid locker refuses to work, damn faulty ancient rusty piece of crap. A little tactile telekinesis and that sucker popped open real good. "Huh?" I look at the ground and see a piece of paper, "Maybe this is what jammed it." The note says that Brad and Kevin went to the park across the street from the school and they would be waiting for me there. Okay, looks like I won't be making that call, good thing too, I wouldn't want to see the phone bill. I decide to see if the letter was the reason why my locker wouldn't open. A quick tug later and the answer is apparent, "Nope, it's just a plain piece of crap." The girl that's opening her locker a couple of rows down just looks at me. "Don't worry, we don't have to pay her any mind." Yes, I realize that I've probably just spread of the first seeds of being ostracized by random people, but oh well. The Smallville Park, not only does it strike another blow for the complete unoriginality of naming things in this town, but it's also the best place to go if you only have ten minutes left before school starts and you want to make out in private. Or that's what the guide told us yesterday during the great tour of the town. Fortunately for me, the kissy face rush won't be for at least another half hour, and I'm very thankful for that. I've seen the hygiene of most of the people here, I'd pity the other person, or pity them both. I walk into the center of the park, marked by the fountain, which isn't as tacky as I would have thought. I was thinking more like dancing cows spitting water out of their mouths', but it's just your standard fountain, no ceramic designs of animals or people. Someone whistles from behind me. I don't see anyone, just a tree. I've been well known to be out of it at times, but I can't say that I've ever thought a tree was whistling at me. "I'm up here Kon." I look up and see Kevin leaning against the tree on one of the branches. "You know, Ma and Pa would kill me if you fell from the tree." "Don't worry about it, I always used to do this at home. It's just like the balance beam when we had gymnastics in P.E., watch." Kevin walks across the trunk with ease, rather impressive. "See, I told." He slips, a normal person would be worried, but I could make it to him before he fell if I had to. He manages to get back on the branch, "I was expecting you to look a lot more worried, even if I was joking." "You really shouldn't joke about stuff like that, but it's not like I couldn't have reached you before you snapped in several pieces." "You just aren't much fun, you know that right?" "Just get down from there, please." Kevin snickers, "You want me to come down? You'll have to get me first, unless you're afraid of heights." Afraid of heights? Please. With ease, and a meta-gene boost, I jump up to the same branch as him. "So, still think I'm afraid of heights?" "You really are no fun, but I'm not coming down, I like the view." "What." He turns me around, "view?" "That view." "Oh." He's right, you can see a lot of the town, and the valley around it, it really is breathtaking, can't deny that. "Well, I guess if I can't get you down I might as well join you up here." "Doing this reminds me of when I was a little kid. I would spend all day after school climbing trees and looking at the lake. I never really thought that the same lake that I found so pretty would eventually bring me into my own personal hell." "Uh, where's Brad?" I'm not trying to be mean, but I can't help him there, and I don't want to try, because I might muck it up. "I'm down here. Look you two, I know you want to be a little taller than you are, but don't you think that climbing a tree is taking just a little to the extreme?" "Shut up Brad!" Is there an echo in here? No, it was just both of us saying it at the same time. "Now, is that any way to talk in the presence of a lady?" Brad chortles. "What Lady, I don't see any lady." Kevin grabs my head and turns it to the left of Brad, past the leaves that were blocking my view. "Uh. would that happen to be the lady." "This lady has a name!" Hmm, feisty thing, but you know what they say about brunettes. I drop down from the tree, "And what would that name be?" She smiles, "Hi, I'm Katy Tort." "Kon Kent, it's a pleasure to meet you." She nods at me and I can see her eyes for the first time, hazel, very pretty. She looks up at Kevin, "Are you enjoying yourself up there Kevin?" "I always enjoy myself when I'm looking at the world from the view of a tree." "So where were you two when I got here?" "Oh, Brad just took me through the rose garden, and picked me this." She holds out a rose and Brad blushes. I can't help but chuckle, "I never pegged you for the romantic type Brad." "Well you know, you watch "Gone With the Wind" enough times and you pick up some things." "Please tell me you don't call each other Scarlet and Rhet." Brad looks at me, "Okay." "We won't tell you." Katy finishes and the two of them laugh together. "Enjoying your first day of classes here Kon?" Brad asks "I guess, nothing could make me love history and physics, and I have English with Chandler, which will prove difficult, but leadership is a cool class." "You have English with that guy from last night?" Kevin says, finally jumping down from the tree. "Boy do I feel sorry for you." "Yeah, but his brother is a nice guy, I have him in my leadership class. He told me that he thought it was cool how I showed Chandler that he wasn't all that last night at Jack's." "Wait a minute!" Brad says excitedly, "Are you trying to tell me that Kyle O'Donnel, the most popular person in the school, talked to you, the new guy, on your first day here?" "What's wrong with that? It's not like he's an egotist like his brother." Katy adds her two cents in, "I'll admit that he isn't anywhere near the ass that Chandler is, but it's not like he doesn't have his own circle of friends who he grants attention to. He's never talked to either of us, and we've been going to school with him since grade school." "That's not true hon, last year he bumped into me while I was getting a drink of water and told me to watch where I was standing." "And you told me you would never wash that shoulder ever again." "Well it's not every day that Kyle touches the regular people." "Come on you two! Have either of you actually tried to talk to him? Or are you just assuming that he views himself as some sort of higher being because he's so popular?" They both stay quiet, looks like I was right. "I don't know if you should be judging him because he won't talk to you if you don't try to talk to him." "I guess you could be right." Brad replies quietly. "I could tell him how nice he looked when he was crowned Homecoming King, he looked so good in that crown." "Uh, that might not be best, he said he hated wearing the crown. He also said that he doesn't really like all those popularity contests that basically every election is." "If he hates them so much why does he win them all?" "Because he's elected for them Brad. He feels that if the people took the time to nominate him for the court than he should at least take the time to stick with the race." "Don't worry Bradley-kin," Bradley-kin? I think I liked Rhet better, "next year he won't be here and Chandler will win everything. wait, I'm trying to make the situation look better not worse." It's a painful realization, next year Chandler WILL win everything, but we all still manage to laugh. The bell rings and we walk back to the school, still laughing.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
After lunch I manage to drag myself to Math, it's not as bad as I thought it would be, but it is by no means fun. The final class I have is Greek Mythology, and ironically our homework for that class is to write who our favorite Greek god or goddess is and why. I wonder if I can get away with putting that Diana is, I should try that. I meet up with Kevin after school and we start walking to the store, it's only a ten minute walk, but I could make it much less, if only. I can hear the horn of a car honk. We think nothing of it and just keep on walking. "Hey Kon, need a lift?" "Kyle?" "Yeah, like you know any other people who can drive. Well, there is my brother, but I'm thinking he would be more willing to run you over than to offer you a ride, maybe a ride to hell."  
  
"I get the point." Kevin looks over at me, "So that's Mr. Popular?" "Please, don't call me that. Do you guys want a ride to wherever you need to go or not?" "Well, it beats walking doesn't it Kon?" "I guess." Plus, it would be cool to ride in that black convertible of his. "Hop in guys, where are you headed?" "Smallville General Store." I buckle my seatbelt. "Thanks for the ride Kyle." "Hey, anything for a friend, and his friends too." "I'm not his friend, I'm his cousin, Kevin." "So you're a Kent too?" "Nah, I'm a Clark." "Oh, so you're Martha's nephew?" "Yeah, she's my great aunt." "And a class act at that. You will never find a better person on this earth than her. She bakes some mighty tasty apple pies." Yeah, this guy is so stuck up, wouldn't talk to anyone. yeah, right. "You know, I haven't seen her or Mr. Kent in about a year, mind if I step in and say hey when I drop you off?" Kevin nods, "I'm sure they'd love to see you again Kyle." He's right, they love seeing the kids that used to run around all grown up. I can't believe that Brad and Katy would even think that he's the type of person that they think he is. I hope they get a chance to know the real person that he is, but if not, at least I know the type of person that he really is.  
  
Fin 


	4. The perfect Soul

Authors Notes: I really love writing this series, honestly I do. If I didn't why would I write so many parts in such a short time? Again, characters, shows, songs, blah blah blah, all owned by whomever should be the company or companies that own them. I'm messing with the continuity some more by powering up a certain villain and giving a weakness that a character may or may not have just to make the story flow better. Nothing else to say really, so lets get started shall we? Please note that anything with the ^ mark notes telepathic communication.  
  
Chapter One (Not Kon's Point of View) The boy had spent every free moment he had sitting on his window seal and mourning the loss of his love. School had become a burden on his soul, something that he once tolerated had become nothing more than pain and suffering. Everyone there, the teachers, his friends, her friends, even random people who he barely knew, they all offered their support to him. In reality all they really did was remind him of the love that once was, the love that would never be again. The light was turned off, only the moonlight shone through the window. He noticed a sudden drop in the temperature in the room and turned around to start his heater, all he saw, was someone else. He gasped, but the other person put his hand over the boy's mouth, the boy could smell the brimstone on whoever this person was. "I have a proposition for you, if you do not alarm the other people in the home of my being here, I will tell you about it. Do you wish to listen?" The boy, somewhat fearful for his life, agreed via a nod of his head. The person smiled, his fangs glistened from the light, and he removed his hand from the boy's mouth. "Who. who are you?" The boy gasped for air. "I am someone who can make your pain go away, I m someone who can make everything better." "How can you do such a thing?" "Allow me to answer that question with another question, how much are you willing to give up in order to be reunited with the girl that you love?" "You. you could arrange that?" "If the price is right, I can arrange almost everything. Again, how much are you willing to give up?" "I'd be willing to give anything I own to be reunited with my love." "Even your soul?" "Yes, even my soul." The mysterious man smiled, and his eyes became a blood red. "Very well, your soul now belongs to me!" The boy looked around, hoping that he would see her. "Where is she, where is she at!" "Oh. you'll see her, in time." The boy knew he was in something that he needed to get out of, he began to back towards the door. It proved futile. Within moments an indescribable pain wracked through his entire body, and he screamed out. "Can't even take a minor amount of my essence, some of you mortals are just so weak. You claimed that you wanted to be with this girl more than anything, but the soul knows limits that even the mind cannot. Oh well, there are other humans who claim that they want something bad enough to give away their soul, I will find the perfect one. So swear I, Neron!" Neron teleported out of the house as the sounds of someone running up the stairs became less faint. "Perry? Son, is everything alright?" The boy's Perry's, Father heard no answer and pushed the door open. "Are you in." He didn't have time to finish what he was saying, he saw his son lying there, unconscious. Instinctively he checked for a pulse, there was none. He screamed as loud as his voice would let him, "Someone call 911, HURRY!" Neron watched the scene unfold unbeknownst to all others. "Another town, another failure, but I know that the perfect human body is in this town, in Smallville. I will find this person."  
  
Chapter Two (Kon's point of view) Saturday, it's one of my favorite days since I've been staying here. Why? It's pretty obvious, because I don't have to go to school. I guess I'm becoming more like a norm and less like a meta as of late. I've been here for three weeks and Young Justice hasn't asked me to go help them on something. Clark's been able to handle all his problems, well save whatever marital spat he and Lois are currently having, alone or with the aid of other people. We haven't even had one of those world threatening "band together the forces of man" crises. Aren't we due for one of those? About the only thing that could get me some action right now is if something bad happened here in Smallville, and honestly, what are the odds of that? Before I used to hate not being in the middle of something, not being able to smack the face of someone. Yet now I find myself content with the small town life that I didn't think I would survive two days in. Sure, the occasional urge to be back in the spotlight comes up every so often, but I can quell that urge with an hour or two of flying. Now I find myself having the occasional word with Chandler, which I almost always seem to win, or spending time with the friends I've made since I've been here. The transition wouldn't have been easy, if I didn't have Kevin to keep me in check. Ma and Pa are great people, and I love them both dearly, but I wouldn't be able to spend every day with just them and keep my sanity. That's not saying that I think they are boring, I don't, it's just that they are a little to old fashioned in some walks of life. They don't even have a computer, but they didn't put a fuss up when Kevin's finally came in from the U-haul. One of the best parts about adjusting to my life here is that I can sleep for the entire night, that damned rooster that bugged me the first couple of days doesn't even phase me anymore. It really is a wonderful life, one that I would have loved to have during my childhood. Of course, I don't have anything to compare it to, not having a childhood, but seeing how Clark turned out, it should work for anyone. I walk down the stairs into the kitchen, still in my pajamas. Hey, it's the weekend, I'm entitled to being a little lazy. Besides, I worked hard on that physics homework last night, I just want to lounge around the house in my bunny slippers for a little while longer. Bunny slippers? What the hell am I doing with bunny slippers on? A quick run back up to my room and I take off the slippers. Socks, just socks, can't go wrong with socks, unless they are pink. A quick look down and I see that they aren't. A sigh of relief later and I'm walking back down the stairs for breakfast. I know Kevin isn't up yet, boy doesn't get up early unless he has to, so he won't be up for at least another hour. Ma and Pa aren't in the kitchen, where could they be? I can hear a faint sobbing come from the porch, best go investigate. As I open the door to go outside I see them both sitting on the porch swing, Pa cradling Ma's head as she weeps. "Ma, Pa, what's wrong?" Pa looks over at me, takes off his glasses, and wipes his eyes. "We just got the morning paper, this was on the front page." Pa hands me the paper and I see in bold heading "Teenager found dead in his room last night." I read further and look at the picture, it's Perry Marx. I had him in my math class, real quiet type. I also know that his girlfriend died in a car crash in Kansas City a couple of weeks before I got here. As I scan the article looking for reason of death it comes out with no answer. The only thing that the entire article says about the cause of his death is that he was found dead after he was heard screaming in his room. A police inspection of the room showed nothing drug related, so an overdose was unlikely. It would be unlikely anyway, I didn't talk to him that much, but I highly doubt he would be the type to do drugs. Of course, grief does a cause someone to do a lot of things, some of them could lead to drug use. So the big question is why? Why did he have do die? I clench the paper in my hand and begin to shake. "I should have tried to do something." Ma stops crying for a moment as she and Pa look at me. "Kon, you can't save everyone. No one expects you to be able to stop death." "I know, Ma, I've seen people die before. I've had people die because of the actions that I took. Still, it's never easy, and I'll always feel like I should have done something." Pa gets off the swing and gives me a hug, "Don't let it eat you up. Maybe the good lord just thought it was his time to go." Maybe, but I'm not buying that. "Well, we're going to go over to the Marxs' house and offer a shoulder. Are you going to be alright?" "Yeah, I'll be fine. Please, offer my condolences to the family." Pa nods as he walks down the stairs, Ma slowly trails behind. I give her a hug to comfort her as best I can and she mouths "thank you". I may not be able to save his life now, but I will do everything I can to see how he died. Lucky for me that Kevin's computer is in the study, or else I would have had to wait for him to get up, and who knows how long that would have taken. As I boot up the computer I can't help but think about all the people of importance in my life that have died. Tana, Cooper, Impulse's scout, and many others. Now I have to add Perry to that list. No matter how much I tell myself that we can't save every single person on the earth from meeting their faith it doesn't help. Plus things like this just shouldn't happen in Smallville. I run through the possibilities of death in my mind. He probably didn't OD since the scene didn't have anything drug related near it. He didn't have any allergies, or at the very least he wasn't on any medications that would prompt an allergic reaction. One thought runs through my head and it doesn't want to give up. Suicide. Perry was going through some very tough times in his life. Could it have been possible that he just wanted to end it all, rather than face another day with the grief? It doesn't seem likely, the scene was clean, and most suicides are messy, or at least leave some evidence, like a noose or something. What could kill someone but not leave a visible mark? Even super- powered means of death usually leave a burn mark or something, and it would account for the screaming. I'm obviously stumped and almost ready to call Tim up, but I want to keep trying to do this on my own. "Good morning, Kon." I close the windows quickly before I turn around. I don't want him to know what I was looking up, don't want him to suspect that I'm more than who I appear to be. "Good morning Kevin, you're up early aren't you?" "Yeah, I guess. I just had a hard time sleeping. What are you doing on the computer so early?" "I was expecting an important e-mail from a friend back home. And looking for anything to get my mind off of what happened last night?" "Why? What happened last night?" "Perry Marx died in his room under unknown circumstances last night. Ma and Pa are on their way over to the house right now." Kevin just looks at me, "Oh, well people live, people die, what are you going to do?" Did I really here what I think I just heard? "I'm going back to my room, please don't disturb me." Damn, before I get the chance to blow up at him he leaves. Did he really just say what I think he said? I know he's still not over his parents' death, but he I've never seen him have such a low regard for another persons life. Something is going on with that boy, but I can't deal with that right now. I've got to find out what happened to Perry.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Forty-Five minutes later and I'm still stumped. Rather than press my rage on more I decide to take a relaxing bath. The change of scenery added with the relaxing feel of water may help me think of other things that I didn't when I was in front of the computer. Maybe I should just call Tim, but he's probably busy saving Gotham with the rest of the Bat-Brethren. As I'm washing my hair, it hits me. I've looked at almost every natural means of death, but I haven't even touched the supernatural. The answer was right in front of my face the entire time and I didn't even think about it. I wonder if I can get in touch with Zatanna. I'd get the added touch of seeing her in those very sexy fishnets. No, I have to stay focused, can't let myself get distracted, not right now. Looks like I'll have to take a rain check on the relaxing bath. After I change into some more comfortable clothing (can't walk around the house naked, people might start to talk) I'm back, staring my one link to what happened right in the eye. or monitor as it would be. I fire up the search engine and look up supernatural deaths. Well over a million hits, this could take awhile. Wait, this link looks like it could do fine, it claims to list every single death that could be caused via supernatural means. It's as good a start as any, so I'm off to search this site. As soon as I click on it I get several pop ups, including x-rated goth girls. why would anyone want to see those? Stupid pop ups, they deter me from my goal. I can rule out the obvious, turned to stone, turned into a zombie, blood sucked dry from a vampire, etc. I can't rule out other stuff, and let's be honest, my arcane knowledge is less than adequate to do this. Still, I'm going to keep going, I won't give up. People who say that being head strong is a fault certainly aren't in the business of saving people day in and day out. He wasn't possessed, because possession usually results in staying alive, Perry obviously died. Maybe he arranged to have himself raised from the dead, but that still doesn't provide the information on the scream, and the less than usual death site. The only things that I can say are a possibility are that he had his heart taken out of his body during a weird ritual of some sort. Something like that would obviously be painful, I know I'd scream like he did if that happened to me. The other possibility is that he had his soul taken out of his body, again, that would hurt. Who has the kind of power to do that kind of stuff though? I know Neron could take peoples souls, but he's currently busy talking like Etrigan, and last I checked he had that power taken away from him. Is there some weird cult running around Smallville? I haven't heard about something like that, and none of the people at school have been acting too strangely, at least for teenagers who have the misfortune of growing up in one of the most uneventful places in the country. Maybe it's an unknown sadist who wants to make him or herself known. Why did they pick a kid from here though? If I wanted to make a name for myself, well actually, where I did make a name for myself, was in a big city. He didn't die by natural means, I'm sure of it now, but how did he die? "Kon? Kevin? Where are you boys at?" I know the voice is Pa's, but they shouldn't have come back so soon, they've barely been gone an hour, right? I glance at the clock and can see that I've been searching for almost an hour. The good thing is that at least now I have something to go on. "Hello?" Pa's voice is getting sterner, better go down there. I yell as I walk down the stairs, "I'm coming!" I can see that they both don't look any more normal than they did when they left, but at the very least Ma has stopped crying. "How was it?" A stupid question, but sometimes the only thing you've got is a stupid question. "They're taking it pretty hard, as would be expected. I can't think of something more painful to go through than seeing your child lying there, lifeless." Ma replies as she hangs up her coat. What was it like for them to see Clark "die", on national television no less. It would probably be best not to ask them right now. Pa sits in his chair and sulks, "Perry was their oldest boy too, had a bright future ahead of him. Boy was as smart as they came. They don't even know how he died. That poor, poor, family, they deserve to know that much." Funny he should mention that, "I've been doing some research while you were gone, and I know that his death was somehow supernaturally related. I just don't know what caused it yet." "Kon, it's great that you're trying to help them out, but can we please not talk about that horrible occurrence anymore, please?" "Of course, Ma." "Thank you dear. Do you happen to know if Kevin got up yet?" I nod, "Yeah, he got up a little while after the two of you left. Come to think of it, he was acting pretty odd, like he was angry about something." Pa gets up from his chair and starts to walk up the stairs, "If he's angry about something we better go find out what it is and try to see what we can do to help him." We all walk to Kevin's room, Pa leading the way. I hold Ma's hand, she's a strong lady but she's still shaken about Perry. This town is so neighborly that if anyone dies it's like a piece of each person gets taken away too. Just like the entire town is one big family. Pa knocks on Kevin's door. "Kevin, are you alright?" No answer, "Are you in your room?" Still, we get no answer. Ma walks up to his door and puts her hand on the knob, "Maybe he fell back asleep, we should check." Pa gives a slight nod and she twists the knob, it's unlocked. We open the door and notice that Kevin isn't on his bed, he's on the ground, looking at a photo album and tears are openly flowing from his eyes. Ma gasps, walks over, and kneels next to him. "Honey, is everything alright?" He looks at her, and we can see that his eyes are blood red, obviously from all the tears. "No Aunt Martha, everything isn't alright. Today. today." Ma places his head on her chest, "Tell us what's wrong dear, please, tell us." "Today would have been my parent's anniversary. Now, they're both dead, and I'll never spend another day with either of them." He starts to cry again. Pa's already at his side, placing his hand on Kevin's back. I stay in the doorway, I don't know what to do. Pa picks Kevin's head up and turns it to look at his face, "You know that death can't take people away from us, as long as we keep them in our hearts." "He's right sweetie, you'll never be able to feel them again, but nothing can take away from the times that you had." Ma kisses him on the forehead. "Come on now, no more tears, where's that spunky little fireball that I used to know?" "He's dead, Aunt Martha." Wasn't expecting that for an answer, "That part of me died with them, and that part is never coming back." "Kevin, son." "Please Uncle Jon, I'd really just like to be alone for awhile longer. Please." "If that's what you want, of course we'll respect your privacy." Pa clutches Kevin's hand for a second and walks out. "If you need any of us, we're here for you, you know that right?" Kevin nods, "Yeah, I know that, Aunt Martha." "Good." She gets up and walks out the door, "Come on Kon, he wants to be left alone." I feel like I should tell him something, but right now I don't think even a stupid question would help. He just said that a part of him died, a really big part. I can't help him with that, and I'm afraid that I'll make it worse if I try. We all walk down into the living room, three people, completely silent. Finally, I break it, "I had no idea." "None of us did Kon, but even if we did, I doubt it would have been any easier." "Pa's right Kon, this isn't something that we can help him get through. This is a battle that Kevin is having within himself, all we can do is make sure that he knows that we will be there for him if he needs us. During situations like this a persons words tend not to help, but a shoulder to lean on is more than enough." They really know what they are talking about. Chalk it up to years of experience and the fact that these two people are the greatest people in the world. "We really aren't having a good day, are we?" Idiot, you weren't supposed to say that out loud! They both look at me and I hang my head down, "Sorry." "Don't be." Pa assures me, "You should never apologize for saying something that is the truth, even if it is something that the people don't really want to say." "Honesty is an important trait to learn during your life, Kon. However, painful honesty is a much more important one. When it's much easier to tell a lie or just ignore the entire situation altogether, the stronger person will speak the truth. Remember that." "I will." Listen to them, here I am thinking that I've made a huge ass out of myself, which I probably still have, but they tell me that I'm learning a very important skill. "I'm going up to make sure he's alright." "He told us he wanted to be alone, Kon." "I know that Ma, but like you said, sometimes a shoulder to lean on helps more than anything else. Including privacy." I walk back up the stairs and see that the door is still cracked open a bit. I push it open, "You alright in here." but he isn't in his room, he's gone.  
  
Chapter Four I search the entire room, which isn't that big, the rest of the upstairs rooms, he isn't here. Where in the hell could he be? "Ma, Pa, Kevin's not in the house!" I yell as I run downstairs. "He's gone." "What do you mean he's gone?" Pa asks, worried. "I mean I went to his room and he wasn't in there, and I searched the rest of the house upstairs and he wasn't in any of the rooms there either. He is not in the house." I run out the door and take to the air. Ma yells from the porch, "Where are you going?!" "To look around the area, he couldn't have gotten far!" Why would he just take off like that? He said he wanted to be alone, so he probably just went somewhere he could be alone. There are a lot of trees for him to climb up and sit in silence around here. I fly up and down the farm, and a little bit out, nothing. I even fly at full speed through the orchards so if I did see him he couldn't see me, still. nothing. This isn't good, he wouldn't just disappear like that. He must be hiding real good, the things I would give to have those x-ray vision goggles that Professor Hamilton made me back. My Young Justice communicator goes off. I still carry the thing around with me at all times, just in case something bad happens, and we each have our own frequency so I know that they need to talk to me and fast. I stop in the air and answer it, "Superboy here, this had better be important." "Superboy." I hear Snapper Carr's voice over the communicator, Young Justice's current nursemaid. "What is it Snapper, I'm kinda busy right now." "Look, I know you wanted your privacy while you were doing something or other in the middle of nowhere, but Wonder Girl and Impulse have gone missing." "What do you mean missing?" "They aren't answering their communicators, but they are both together, we've got a lock on them and they are about 100 miles east of where you are." "What about the others, where are they?" Now I'm concerned, is this a personal attack against me? "Cissie's right here with me, helping me get the info I need to you and the others. Empress, Lobo, Secret, and Ray are off in Tokyo stopping a remote controlled Rhodan from demolishing Osaka, and Robin is busy helping the rest of the bat clan on a case that he can't talk about, orders from papa bats himself." "So everyone except for Cassie and Bart are all accounted for?" "Yeah." "Tell the others to get over to where those two are as soon as possible, I'm on my way over there right now." "Be careful, Kon." "Superboy out." I'm a little to angry right now to be careful. I'm also in too much of a hurry to change into my costume. Fighting evil in jeans and a flannel shirt, I bet that'll impress the ladies. "Get your mind out of the gutter and focus!" I'm almost positive that this is an attack against me now. Does someone know that I'm posing as Conner Kent in Smallville? Does someone want me dead and is hurting the people who I know and care about? Whoever this person is, I will make sure they never hurt another person, or die trying. It doesn't take me ten minutes to get to where Snapper told me that Cassie and Bart are at, and it's a cave in the mountain ranges. Great, this just screams evil mastermind at work. I'm in deep trouble. Not that it ever stopped me before. I coast around a bit, looking for anyone, but it's just barren. Better call it in, "Snapper, I'm at the location, but I don't see either of them." I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around. "Cassie! You're okay!" She looks at me, then down at the communicator. She grabs it from my hand and breaks it. "Cassie, why did you do that?" All I see is her sneer at me. "Cassie, it's me, Kon." She doesn't answer with words, but she punches me in the stomach. I gasp for air, but she's already over me, and with her hands clutched together she rams them into my back. The force alone sends me back down to earth in a hurry, and I make a mark on the ground because of the impact. She lands down in front of me, but all I can see is her sneakers. "Cassie, is this some kind of sick training session that you wanted to drag me too?" She tries to kick me, but I'm ready for it. It's obvious she isn't herself, something is wrong with her. "Would you look at me? I don't want to hurt you, but I will if only to knock some sense into you." She takes to the air, with me holding onto her foot. Once she gets high enough she flips me over again, this time both her heels hitting me right in my chest. I plummet back down to the ground. If I don't mount an offense soon she can probably kill me. But I don't want to hit her. She stands over me and slaps my cheek. I manage to slide under her legs and get her in a full nelson. I know that unless I pull everything I have in this hold she can break out of it. She screams in rage, "Look Cassie, I don't know what is wrong with you, but you are going to calm down or I won't let you go, the choice is yours. Talk to me!" She's struggling, and I have to keep tightening my grip, I might be hurting her, but she'll thank me when she comes to her senses. "Come on Cassie, you're stronger than whatever it is that has a hold of you, fight it!" She screams again, this time more in pain, I want to let go, but I can't. I feel the wind rustle around me and when I blink Impulse is standing in front of me. "Bart, help me with Cassie!" He walks closer to me and touches my arm, I'm about to let go when he punches me as fast as he can, which makes me let go of Cassie. I'm losing consciousness, but I'm not out of it yet. Bart runs around me at full speed, sucking the air from the whirlwind he's created. I'm temporarily blinded by the dust. I don't even see Cassie's fist come towards my nose till it's too late. All I see, is the blackness. I awaken inside the cave that I flew by, I think. I'm also stuck onto some sort of apparatus that looks like an operating table, but I'm shackled down. Another noticeable factor in my current dilemma is the fact that I can't get the strength to break them. "I see you have finally woken up from your slumber." Who the hell could be saying that? Cassie, who had been standing to the side of me, out of my sight, pulls a lever and makes the thing that is holding me stand up. "It's a good thing too, because I'd hate for you to not feel what is about to happen to you." My jaw drops, "Neron." The scum laughs, "Why so shocked, Superboy? Surely you didn't think that being demoted from my post would keep me out of this planet's trite meta- human activities now did you?" "How. how did you." "How did I get out of the position I was stuck in? It's quite simple actually. You see, the higher lords of evil really don't like your precious little Justice League of America. All it really took was a promise that I would cause them a shattering amount of pain before I took each of their lives and I was back where I started, with some added powers. Now I can take souls, and even kill people, for no reason. It really does add to my "evil demon lord" persona, don't you think? So, just how do you fit into this? As I thought of a way to harm the league it became all too apparent, harm their children. None of the members have actual children, but many of them have children whom are their protégés. If I kill these namesakes, it would be a crushing blow to all of them. And that is just step one of my plan, but there is no need to let you in on the rest, since you'll be dead soon enough." He walks over to me and punches me in the gut. I cough out some blood. "I always wanted to do that, it felt good too. Oh, don't bother trying to break free of those bonds, they are laced with kryptonite, and the outsides of the bands are lead, so should Superman come to try and free you, he'll be in deep trouble too. You'd be surprised how easy that stuff is to find if you have the right connections." Great, kryptonite won't kill me as fast as it would Superman, but it does drain a lot of my juice from me. "What have you done to my teammates?" He takes a flask out and dangles it in front of me. "You see the contents in this flask? Its water from the river Lethe, you know, the river of forgetfulness. All I had to do was make sure that those two drank a drop of this and they wouldn't remember anything about who they were, but they would remember everything that they did while the water was working it's magic. I plan on having both of them dead before that, but hey, it was easier to lure you here since the odds of you pushing aside that moronic "code" that you people all seem to live by, except Batman, cold hearted man that he is. You people can't win this fight, Superboy, and you're going to be the first victim." He snaps his fingers and Bart undoes my shackles, both he and Cassie carry me closer to him. I've only got one shot at keeping myself alive at this point, and it isn't going to make me sleep better at night. The Kryptonite drained me of a majority of my power, but I've still got enough to do what I need to do, I hope. Unexpectedly I kick part in the stomach with as much strength as I can get out, it sends him flying back and down. Cassie tries to punch me in the face again but this time I grab her wrists and put her bracelets together. She told me once that if she didn't want someone to do that it would take away her powers for a bit, and I doubt this mind warped Cassie wants me too. I elbow her in the chin with a lot of force and she goes down too. "Forgive me you two." "Well, I had the odds of you pulling something like that weighed out, and I must say I'm surprised. But I wouldn't come without a plan B, and here he is." He steps aside, "Here is the perfect body I need for the rest of my plan!" It's. its Kevin.  
  
Chapter Five  
  
What does he mean? Perfect Body? "Shocking, isn't it? You'll attack members of your team, but will you attack this normal human? Someone who you call "cousin?" Kevin walks up to me and gives me the same sneer that Cassie gave me earlier. "Well Superboy, what are you going to do?" He's right, I can't attack this boy, he doesn't have anything to do with the entire situation, I can't hit an innocent. "As some dead person once said, "he who hesitates is lost." Kevin, you know what to do." Kevin takes out a green knife and stabs in the ribs with it. "ARGGGGGGGGG!" I scream as he continues to stab and dig the knife into my body. Then, he drops the knife. "Oh my god. Kon, what I have done?" "What the hell? How could you have broken the effects of Lethe's water, HOW!" I smile as blood protrudes from the sides of my mouth. Weakly I reply, "You've never given the human heart the credit it deserves, demon. It can break just about anything if given the chance." My body gives in on me and I fall into Kevin's arms, "Kon, I'm so sorry." "Oh enough of this. He may be the perfect body, but I can find another." Neron raises his hand and I know what's coming. I turn us around as fast as I can, my body blocking Kevins. "GAHHHHHHHHHH!" I scream as the energy hits my body. Kevin lets go of me and I drop to the ground. (Not from Kon's point of view, but it's pretty good ain't it? *shameless plug*) "Well Kevin, you said you wanted to be with your parents again. Kill Superboy and I promise that you will be with them again." "I won't kill him, I will not kill my cousin." "Don't you see? He lied to you from the moment he met you, they all lied to you. And don't you want to see your parents again? To feel their touch on your skin?" Neron's voice was getting more forceful. "You know I want to see my parents again, but they wouldn't want me to kill someone just so I could be with them. I know that much." "FOOL!" Neron yelled. "If you do not wish to submit to our agreement then it will be my pleasure to do it for you. Prepare to die, mortal!" "I don't fear death, demon." Kevin replied, showing no fear. "You will once you realize how close it is to you!" "I'm afraid you won't be killing anyone today, Neron!" A voice boomed from behind him. "Superman!" Neron hissed. "I see you've brought along some friends." He saw the man of steel, along with Flash and Wonder Woman. "I don't need them to take care of you." "That is a very bold statement from one who hasn't seen the fruits of my labor. Take a look for yourself." Neron pointed to the slumped over figure of Superboy. "A piece of work if I do say so myself, of course, I could not have done it without the aid of your cousin." Superman began to run over to the side of Kon, but stopped as soon as he came close enough for the kryptonite radiation from the knife to affect him. "Flash, get that knife out of here!" "I'm on it!" In a blur Flash grabbed the knife and ran out. "You Justice Leaguers just don't know when to quit!" Neron yelled out. "I won't retreat without a life claimed from this botched up effort." He looked at Kevin, "Yours!" Neron placed his hand out and began to shoot out energy, but he found that his power was redirected, by the golden lasso. "Demon, did you really think that I, a former goddess, would not be able to detect your evil presence on this earth?" "We've danced this dance before woman, and last time we did I killed you, causing your ascent to "godhood". Perhaps it is past time I repeated the process, but with more. permanent results." "You can kill me as many times as you see fit, Neron, but I will always come back, we will always come back." "I'll make sure I tell your mother you said that when next I taunt her in tartarus, Diana." "Demon! You will regret tarnishing the name of my mother!" Diana released the hold that her lasso had on Neron and attacked him head on. It was a battle between the two, one the ultimate being of truth, the other, corruption. Their combined fury began to bring the cave in which the battle took place down. Amidst the battle that the two were having, Superman was checking for any signs of life in Superboy. "Kon, Kon, wake up!" Superman turned Kon around so he lay on his back, in an effort to open the air channels in the kids body, it was in doing this that he saw the many stab wounds that aligned Superboy's body. "These wounds, they are massive." ^Do not worry about him right now, Superman.^ The voice of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunnter, ran through him. ^I can't just let Kon die, J'onn.^ ^I will teleport him up to the watchtower and do my best to mend his wounds.^ ^Teleport me up with you!^ ^No, Clark, I know how you must feel, but you have to aid Diana, or else Neron might kill her, again.^ Superman looked over and saw that Neron was indeed gaining the upper hand against the mighty amazon. ^Please my friend, go help her.^ ^Alright, take care of Superboy for me, I'll be up as soon as I can.^ Superboy's body faded away, a visual side effect of being teleported to the watchtower. Clark looked over at Kevin, who was shaking, in a state of shock. Quickly, he flew over to aid Wonder Woman, who was kneeling on the ground. "And so it ends now. You never were a match for me Wonder Wom." Neron was cut off mid-sentence by the force of Superman ramming him into the wall. Furiously Superman continually pummeled his fists into the face of Neron, but the demon teleported behind him. "I can sense the rage in you. I like that, I'll still kill you, but I like it." "I told you, you are not killing anyone today!" Superman fired his heat vision, but Neron had again shifted his position. "I will do as I please, Kryptonian."  
  
"You can't do anything if you can't concentrate!" The flash had returned and was using his accelerated speed to surround Neron in a mini-tornado. Superman again fired off his heat vision, this time connecting with the demon's chest. Kevin stayed knelt in the area where he had been while he was staring at Kon's bleeding form. He stared at his hands and saw that they were covered with blood, the blood of someone he deeply cared about. He knew that he had to make Neron pay, and he intended to do just that. "Enough of this!" Neron's form began to glow black, and a massive blast of power came from his center, knocking all three members of the league back. "You've meddled in my affairs again, caused me to exert myself to my breaking point, but this will be the last time!" Another shot hit Neron, this time from the side. "Who dares?" Kevin screamed out, "I dare! You don't think I was paying attention to what you told me did you? You said that you needed the perfect host body to contain your power, and that I was it. I knew you were staring to transfer power to me, and now I know how to use it. Step down demon, you will not win this!" "You think you have power boy? When I return, you will see what real power is!" Neron again teleported, this time however, he teleported to an unknown place. Kevin, still shaken, ran over to Superman, who was getting up from the ordeal. "Clark, take me to Kon, please." Superman, while taken back by the fact that his cousin now knew who he really was, nodded. "Flash, Diana, you two make sure that Impulse and Wonder Girl are alright, I need to go check on Kon." Superman and Kevin were whisked away in the familiar blue light. It should have freighted Kevin, but he was too busy worrying about Kon to notice.  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Superman and Kevin teleported to the teleportation room and within seconds where at the medical bay. The Kid was already on a respirator and his entire abdomen was bandaged up. "J'onn. is he." Superman choked up but continued, "is he going to be alright?" "That depends on many factors. The wounds that he sustained were massive, and the amount of healing required is too much for me to handle. Fortunately, Dr. Mid-Nite answered my telepathic call for aid." The Martian put his hand over Clark's shoulder. "We'll do everything we can, but a large part of his survival depends on his own will." Mid-Nite turned away from the monitors that he had been keeping watch over, "We had to bandage him up in order to stop the bleeding, but he will require surgery nonetheless." "Thank you for coming Dr." Superman said, watching someone he cared about deeply fight for his live. "I'm a doctor, Superman, it's my job to save lives, and those whom bear your crest are among the most treasured beings on the planet. It's the least I could do. However, I need both you and your guest to leave the room and let us work." "Of course, come on, Kevin." "No." Kevin replied sternly. "I will not leave Kon, it's my fault that all this happened to him." "Kevin, regardless of what you think, what happened wasn't your fault. At least not directly. But right now all we can do is respect the wishes of the two people who can save him. Trust me, he couldn't be in better hands." Kevin looked up at Clark, if you can't trust Superman, who can you trust? The boy finally relented and walked out of the room. Clark took one final look back and soon followed. "How did you find out?" He asked as he saw Kevin looking out the window. "It was pretty easy once I saw that Superboy was Kon. The logical thing to assume would be that you were Superman. After all, why would Superboy be staying with the Kents' unless they were somehow connected to Superman. Plus, the look, I don't see how you're able to fool so many people wearing only those glasses when you're Clark." "Well, you know now, I can't do anything about it." "Yeah, you can't do anything about a lot of things, Clark." "Do you want to talk about what happened, Kevin?" "No, what I want to do is find that Neron guy and turn his head into a soccer ball. He hurt my." He turned around and looked at Clark, "you've lied to every single one of us since day one. They lied to me too, he isn't even my cousin!" "You know that Ma can't conceive a child on her own, you've always known that I was adopted. As for keeping this a secret, I have a lot of enemies, Kevin. A lot of enemies would harm any member of my family just to get at me. The less people that know who I really am just means the less chance that those very people have at getting harmed. While it may be true that he isn't biologically your relative, do you truly think so lowly of him now that you've found that out? Would the relationship that the two of you have developed since you've lived with my parents and met him have changed so drastically if you knew he wasn't?" Kevin thought long and hard over what Superman. Clark. had just told him, and he knew that he was right, it really wouldn't have changed anything. "It still doesn't make what I did any easier. I may have just killed someone, someone whom I care about a lot." "You can't take responsibility for the things that you have no control over. It's obvious that you were influenced by Neron, what you did was not of your own accord." "I'm still possessed by a part of him. I was his "perfect" body, the one body on the planet that could take his essence without rejecting it and having the body shut down. Another step of his plan was to posses a normal human body, a body that would be his husk. The only person who could be this husk is the person who wants something so badly that in consumes their being, and it was me. If I had only gotten over what happened to my parents I wouldn't have been." "No one expects you to come to term with the deaths of both your parents so quickly, Kevin. No one expects you to ever come to complete peace over it. Don't tear yourself up over a human trait. As for Neron's essence, the JLA knows many mystics, we could get you exorcised." "No Clark, I know I can control whatever I have inside me. And I intend to take revenge on Neron, even if I have to follow him into the gates of hell." "Hell doesn't really have gates, they should really get a new travel agent." Both Kevin and Clark turned to the side to find out who said that, it was Flash. "Hey, someone had to break the drama, it was beginning to get as thick as tar." "Kevin, I believe you know of the Flash." Wally took Kevin's hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you kid. A quick word of advice from someone who's been doing this longer than big blue over there, don't lust for revenge, if you do than you are no better than Neron." "He's right Kevin, revenge isn't what we do. Wally, how are the others?" "Diana and I took them over to Young Justice's HQ, she's still over there helping Snapper make what's going to counteract the effects of Lethe's water. It's a good thing that Snapper reached us when he did, or else. it could have been a lot worse." Clark nodded, "We owe Snapper." "What's that bring the running total of favors up too? I lost count." Superman looked at Flash who took the hint. "Alright, I'll let the drama start up again, but you mind if I make some popcorn and watch? I tell you, you two have already had more drama than the entire series of Dynasty and Melrose Place combined. And I just admitted that I watch Aaron Spelling productions. gotta go." And with that, the Scarlet Speedster was off. "Sorry about that Kevin, he's a little." "Hyper-active?" "That's putting it lightly. But when it all comes down to it, few people have a dependability rating as high as Flash though." "Okay, so you people don't do revenge, fine. What do you do?" "Anything that doesn't involve killing, we kill only as a last resort, and even then, only to save more lives. More often than not we put the villains in jail, stripping them of their power." "I somehow doubt that Neron can be stripped of his power now. He's promised whomever he answers to all your heads on a black platter." "Many people have offered more, and they can never make due with their promise. We're the JLA Kevin, we don't lose." Quietly Kevin asked, "Then why is Kon fighting for his life?" Unbeknownst to both of them, J'onn had walked in from the Medical Bay, "He's not, not anymore. He lost a lot of blood, and the wounds were kryptonite induced, so they will take longer to heal, even for him, but he'll pull through." "Can. can I see him Mr." "Please, call me J'onn, and yes, you may see him." "Thanks, J'onn." Kevin ran into the Medical Bay. "You did it, J'onn." Superman said with relief. "We did nothing, Clark. Nothing more than making sure that his body did not go into shock. I was scanning his mind while we worked, and he came back for the people he cared about. But most of all, he came back. for you. He knew that if he died on that operating table then Neron would have won a small victory, and a crushing blow would have befallen you, which was just what the demon wanted. Go and see him my friend, he's waiting." Clark nodded and walked through the door. (Back to Kon's point of view) I awoke on a table, but I knew that I was in a safe place. Slowly, and with an enormous amount of pain, I manage to sit upright. "I see you are up, Superboy." "Yeah," I grab my side to brace the pain, "but I wouldn't have gotten up if it weren't for you. Thanks." "Please, the fact that you will continue to inspire people the way your namesake has is more than enough thanks for me." "Any long term effects I should be aware of, Doc?" Mid-nite shuffled through the papers on his clipboard. "Aside from the stab scars you will not have any other permanent effects to my knowledge. However, you won't be able to be at full strength for quite awhile, and I'm insisting that you stay here for the rest of the night so that J'onn or myself may monitor you and conduct other tests." Great, I'm gong to miss. well, nothing happens in Smallville anyway. And given the other alternative, I can manage staying put here for the rest of the night, can't really beat the view. "Kon!" Kevin yells as he runs up and grabs me. "Watch the ribs!" I say as I wince in pain. "Oh, sorry." He starts to cry again. "Would you stop crying, I'm fine. Well. I've seen better days, but I'll be fine." "This is all my fault." "No it isn't Kevin, and I won't let you blame yourself for what happened. Just drop it okay?" "Alright." He moves to the side and I see Clark standing over me. "Superboy." "Look, I'm sorry that you had to come save me, but thanks." "That doesn't matter, you're fine, and I was just doing what I've pledged my life too." "Umm. could you do me a favor?" Clark smirks, "What do you need, but I won't do anything along the lines of having Black Canary do a pity strip to make you feel better." "It's a good show if you can catch it." Mid-Nite says as he shuffles through more papers. "No, I want you to go to the Marxs' house and tell them that Perry had his soul taken from his body. They deserve to know." "I'll make sure to tell them that." He looks down at Kevin, "We'd better get you back home." Kevin looks at me, "Aren't you coming home too, Kon?" "I've got to stay here for the night, doctor's orders. I'll be home tomorrow, tell Ma and Pa not to worry." "I've got Monitor Duty tonight, so I'll be back." Clark and Kevin leave the room. "So, is it really a good show?" Mid-Nite answers, "Indeed it is. indeed it is." (Not Kon's point of view) Clark and Kevin landed in front of the Kent farm. "Well, we'd better go tell them what happened." "Clark. can we make a couple of stops before we tell them?" "What kind of stops?" Kevin whispered something into Clark's ear. "Yeah, I'd be happy to do that." Within five minutes they were at the cemetery where Kevin's parents were buried. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing, Clark?" "If you feel you are doing the right thing, then you are doing the right thing. I can fly you here anytime you want to pay a visit. If it's too much on you right now we can just fly you back to the farm and try again later. The choice is yours to make, Kevin." Kevin looked over at the grave and turned back around, looking at his cousin. "Can. I do this alone?" Clark nodded. Slowly Kevin walked over to his parents grave and knelt down, "I didn't think I would be paying you this visit so soon, but I figure now is the right time. I gave up the chance to be with both of you again. I know that part of that bargain would mean that I would have given him my soul and we wouldn't have been united in body. To be honest, I was ready to do it, I didn't care that you wouldn't be back here, I just cared that I would be with you. I wanted it that badly. Now that I think about it, the odds of someone who sold his soul going to the good place as opposed to the bad place are rather low. It obviously wasn't a very wise choice on my part, but I was blinded by my pain over what happened, nothing else mattered. I didn't know that the guy I made the deal with expected me to kill someone who I care about in order to finalize the deal. I did know that no matter what, you would never have wanted me to kill someone, no matter what. I realize now that as long as I have people who are willing to be there for me, that's all I need. It won't ever make up for losing you two, but I can't change fate." He placed a bouquet of roses on the plaque that marked their burial plot. "At least I know that you two are together. Mom. Dad. happy anniversary." And with that, Kevin walked away.  
  
Fin. 


End file.
